Stolen Birthrights
by J.M. Sparrow
Summary: He's not a bad guy, but the situation isn't good. Even if I can learn to deal with our unorthodox relationship, what am I supposed to do? Stay here? Ignore everything going on in the world around me? No. Maybe if I had been any other girl and we had met under any other circumstances, things would be different. I have duties to uphold, though...no matter how much I wish I didn't...
1. Prologue

Hello, everyone.  
Welcome to my story!

I will be striving to update this often. I currently have up to chapter ten on my laptop and have been averaging one chapter a day. I have no intention of abandoning anyone who reads this, and I fully intend to follow this all the way through.

Let me know what you think. :]

* * *

Prologue

_I taste the blood before I feel the pain from the strike. It pools slowly in my mouth as I stare unblinkingly into the cold eyes of my assailant. I know the tears in my eyes betray my brave face, but I refuse to give this man the satisfaction of watching them fall. He smirks._

_ "Hurt, didn't it?" he says arrogantly. I glare before spitting the blood from my mouth onto his black leather shoes. He grimaces before nodding at the two other men flanking me. Each puts a hand on my shoulders and force me down to my knees. A hand grips my chin roughly, and my face is pulled upwards to stare back into the face of my captor. He grins before hitting me across the face again. My cheek smarts, and I can practically feel the blood vessels breaking and bruising. I don't turn my face back up to the man, instead keeping my eyes trained on his muddled shoes. Hours earlier, I was able to see my reflection in them. I smirk to myself while relishing the fact it was I who ruined such perfectly nice shoes._

_ "That'll never polish out," I whisper. The air in the room tenses._

_ "What did you say?" asks the man after a brief silence. I turn my face back up to his and lock my eyes with his. _

_ "I said that'll never polish out. It's a shame really; those were very nice shoes," I say clearly before giving him a large smile. His lips turn up in a sneer._

_ "Your face is black and blue. It's a shame really; you had such a pretty face," he snarls, mocking me. My smile doesn't slip._

_ "My face will heal. You'll never get those shoes clean again, though," I reply brightly. His nostrils flare in anger. The blow to my face he delivers is much stronger this time and knocks me sideways onto the grimy floor. Before I have the time to lift myself back up, a bloodied shoe makes contact with my stomach. I clutch my abdomen and curl up as small as I can. I cough and taste more blood. I can't draw enough air into my lungs to spit it up, so I'm resigned to allow the blood to slowly dribble from my mouth onto the floor. A hand grips into my hair and yanks me back onto my feet. I shriek and claw at the hand holding me. He lets go of my hair and grabs onto my wrist. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he begins bending it backwards. I feel the bones creak and try to wrench it away from the man, but it only causes more pain and ominous creaking. A single tear finally escapes and makes a journey down my face as the pain forces me back onto my knees._

_ "Ah, there's a tear. Something finally hurts, does it? Perhaps I'll let go if you beg. Go on, beg!" He says loudly with a hint of laughter in his voice. I grit my teeth and close my eyes, refusing to beg for anything from this man. He bends my wrist back more. I know it's going to snap any moment now. I feel the man's warm, putrid breath on my face and know he's mere inches from me. "Oh, don't be proud; just beg and it'll stop. It'll all stop." I'm not stupid enough to believe him._

_ "Go to Hell!" I scream, forcing my eyes back open to look at him. The pressure on my wrist stops momentarily as he stares down at me, clearly taken aback. He quickly pulls himself back together and smirks at me._

_ "Oh, trust me, I will. However, I won't be going for a long, long time. You, however, will be spending the rest of your mortal life there." His voice is deadly soft, and he allows his words to sink in before snapping my wrist back the rest of the way. I scream, the pain in my wrist too intense for me to remain silent. He shoves my arm back towards me and steps away. I cradle my broken wrist and suddenly become hyper-aware of the pain in the rest of my body. I'm not granted much time to focus on my pain before the man strikes me at my temple. I crumple, and my head hits the concrete floor. Darkness swims in front of my eyes, and I know I'm about to be blessed by unconsciousness. The final thing I register before succumbing to the darkness are those once attractive shoes walking away from me with a two word directive to the other two men in the room:_

_ "Break her."_


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with Kingdom Hearts or Square Enix. This disclaimer also stands for the prologue and any chapter that follows this one.

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Chapter One

A scream tears itself from my lips, and I'm woken from my nightmare by someone shaking me violently and shouting.

"Stop that screaming, girl! You're gonna wake up the whole damn market square!" Kelvin. Such a charming man. My eyes snap open, and I'm reminded, per usual, that while I may escape the nightmares in my head, I wake up into another. I shut my mouth and stare with emotionless eyes at the man in front of me. He releases me as soon as he sees I'm conscious. "That's better. Now get ready. Maybe today's the day I finally get rid of you," he says in a grumble before ambling out of the room.

I sigh and slowly get to my feet. Everything creaks, but I suppose that's what you get from sleeping on a floor, not as though I have any other choice. I survey the room around me: cold stone floor, cold stone walls, one dingy window that doesn't open, and no furnishings or comforts unless you count the beds of hay scattered about as comforting. I sigh again, knowing things could be worse, and grab my silken red robe. I suspect it used to be nice, but so much time without a wash or patching leaves me void of such memory. I wrap it around my body since it's the only clothing I own now and exit the room.

"About time, girl. Now get your ass out there," Kelvin shouts from the counter without looking at me. I glance around the small shop, taking in the sights of the boys and girls around me. All are around my age, or so I assume; I've never actually spoken to any of them. They're all shrouded in varying stages of filth, and I know I can't be much better seeing as how I've been here the longest. My eyes lock with a girl who arrived yesterday. I see the fear and terror in her eyes, and I'm reminded of how I must've looked in those first few days. She's looking at me with so many questions in her eyes, and I have no reassuring words or gestures to give her; I almost feel bad before remembering that I don't feel anything anymore.

"Hey! What did I just say?" Kelvin shouts again. I pull my eyes from the girl.

"Shut up; I'm going," I hiss. He wrinkles his nose and begins counting through a stack of money.

"Won't be sounding so high and mighty later tonight, eh?" he says. I wince inwardly, realizing I just signed myself up for another beating tonight.

"See if I care, you disgusting man," I practically snarl as I make my way towards the main entrance. I feel his eyes boring into my back.

"Me, disgusting? You should see yourself," he almost whispers. Anger flushes through me as I exit the shop. I slam the door as hard as I can and feel satisfied when a window breaks and I hear Kelvin swear.

I take my place on the sidewalk in front of the shop between two other girls. They're both shivering in their robes, but whether from the cold or fear, I do not know. I glance both ways down the street and see a number of other boys and girls looking much like myself. Some still wear looks of fright while others look still surprisingly hopeful that this is all a bad dream. Most of us have surrendered those notions long ago and know that this is simply what our lives have become. We aren't people anymore; we're merchandise.

Yes, it is best to simply accept what we have become. I've seen what happens to the hopeful bunch. They're the likeliest to make escape attempts, which I have never seen end any other way than with death. The ones who don't try to escape slowly lose their hope and their shop owners happily watch the light leave their eyes.

I lost my hope a while ago, but I never allow anyone to see that. I may have lost my home, my freedom, my rights, and my hope, but I refuse to sacrifice my dignity. I won't allow them to win.

I am pulled from my musings by Kelvin's hand on my wrist. My eyes snap up, shocked by his sudden appearance.

"You deaf? Been calling to you for five minutes. Need to talk to you, so get a move on," he says impatiently before dragging me back into the shop. He pulls me into his office, lets go of me, and sits behind his desk. He folds his hands on his desk and stares at me.

After an obnoxious amount of silence, I open my mouth: "Are you just going to stare at me all day or are you actually going to say whatever you need to say" His eyes narrow, and he sneers.

"It's that smart mouth that's keeping you here, girl. Nobody wants a servant with a smart mouth."

"Then it looks like you're stuck with me forever and ever," I reply with false sweetness in my voice. Instead of glaring at me, though, Kelvin smiles slightly.

"You see, girly, that's where you're wrong. How long have you been here now?"

I narrow my eyes before responding. "Ten months."

"Quite a while to be in a shop, yes?"

"As you constantly feel the need to remind me."

"Well don't you know what happens to servants who don't sell within a year?" I roll my eyes, annoyed by his game.

"No, I don't. Why don't you enlighten me?" His smile widens.

"They're killed," he says softly, waiting for my reaction. After a moment in which I don't bat an eye, his smile slips a little.

"So I have two more months here then? Fabulous," I deadpan. "Are we done now?"

His smile falls completely and he looks completely bewildered. "Didn't you hear me, girl? They're going to kill you. You'll be dead." I smile softly

"Oh, Kelvin, Kelvin, Kelvin. You've been in this business a while, yes? Haven't you learned yet that death is what all of us secretly want?" I respond quietly before turning on my heel and walking out.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The next day, I wake up with the thought of my imminent fate making itself comfortable in my brain. I feel practically giddy as I pull on my grungy robe since I know my days having to wear it are numbered. I don't even mind when Kelvin yells at me to hurry up getting outside.

As I take up my spot on the sidewalk, I fall into my usual routine of losing myself in my thoughts. For once, though, I find my thoughts rather comforting. _Dead in two months. It'll all be over. Maybe I'll even get to see mother and father in the afterlife. _I chuckle slightly and cast my eyes downward at the thought. _What afterlife? At least there's an end in sight now. I'll die with my dignity and spirit intact. No one will ever be able to say they broke me. _I smile at my thoughts.

By midday, my smile hasn't left my lips. I feel looser, lighter, freer. Relief and something close to happiness had been flooding my body ever since Kelvin told me the news. Not even the cold November air manages to bother me. All the dodgy little shops along the square seem cheerier. The sun seems brighter. For the first time in a while, everything has color and the world looks beautiful. My smile only widens as the minutes pass.

The smile falls, though, when a pair of black leather boots stop in front of me. I'm confused. Boots don't stop in front of me. No types of shoes stop in front of me. _It's just a curious on-looker who will move on soon enough after he realizes his mistake._ I concentrate on the boots to pass the time. They're bulky and round toed, not unlike the boots one sees on most bikers. They're scuffed up and look well worn. The thing about them I notice most as time continues on, though, is the fact that their owner is still standing in front of me. I can feel his eyes burning into the top of my head. _Why isn't he moving? Why isn't he leaving? _

"What's your name, beautiful?" a soft, raspy voice asks.

"What's it to you?" I retort without looking up. Instead of immediately walking off like so many in the past, though, a small laugh escapes from him.

"Fiery. I like that," he says quietly.

"Let's set you on fire and see how much you like it then," I hiss. I can practically feel him smiling. He chuckles before shouting out to Kelvin through the window I broke yesterday, "Oi! Shopkeep!" Kelvin hurries out as quickly as possible. When he reaches the man, he sounds slightly out of breath.

"Yes, sir? How can I help you, sir?"

"What's the story on this little lady?"

"Her, sir?" Kelvin asks, incredulous. "Well, ah, she's, um…well…" he falters.

"You have no talking points on one of your own wares? Alright, let me help you out. Does she have a name?" the man asks impatiently.

"Oh, yes, yes, sir," Kelvin responds enthusiastically. He knows this is the one point that may possibly redeem himself, "She's Iris Weatherly." There's a pause before the man starts laughing heartily.

"You're slick, old man. Iris Weatherly. As if."

"No, no, sir. I'm quite serious. Have the papers on her and everything!" Kelvin says hurriedly. He doesn't want to lose this opportunity to get me off his hands. Another silence ensues before the man in front of me continues.

"You're not joking? This girl is seriously who you say she is?"

"Yes, sir. Oh, yes, sir, she is. Allow me one second to fetch her file." Kelvin shuffles back into the shop and returns almost immediately with a manila envelope. He shows the man my file and they look through the papers for a few moments, Kelvin occasionally pointing out something or another. "I should warn you, though, sir. She has a bit of a smart mouth on her." The man chuckles softly.

"Oh, I've already gotten a taste of that. I'll take her," he says while pulling his wallet out with a flourish.

My eyes snap up at his words, and I know they're wide with the panic I haven't felt in months. My breath catches as the man pays Kelvin. _This is really happening. Oh, God, this is actually happening… _ The man looks over at me and grins widely as the transaction finishes up. I feel myself get trapped in his eyes and suddenly feel like a deer caught in headlights. _So green. So unbelievably green._

"Thank you, sir. Excellent doing business with you, sir," Kelvin gushes as he counts the money in his hand. The man reaches out and catches my wrist lightly without breaking his gaze.

"Well, let's get you to your new home, sunshine," he says cheerfully before starting off. My brain stops working when he releases my stare, and my body forgets how to walk. I feel so numb as I'm resigned to stumble along behind him. He leads me over to a black car with dark windows where another man is waiting next to the driver's door.

"Heading home, sir?" the new man asks.

"Yes, Renton, thanks," He says as he opens the door and guides me in. My brain, still refusing to work properly, has me slide into the car without fight. He slides in right after me, shuts and locks the door.

"Very good, sir," Renton replies, climbing into the car.

Moments later, I feel the engine start to rumble softly and the car start moving. I remain numb through the car trip. I'm unable to take in the sights I haven't seen in so long blurring past the window. All the calm and beauty and peace I felt this morning is gone. It's replaced now by a hollow, empty feeling that stays with me as Renton continues to drive.

As the car slows some time later, signaling the impending arrival to our destination, panic starts creeping back into my blood. By the time the car stops and the man opens the door, I'm nearly shaking with fear. My heart is racing. My palms are sweating. Tears are welling up in my eyes, and I feel like I might throw up but know nothing would actually come up. _Everything I've been trying to prevent for so long is about to happen. Everything I hoped to avoid is going to happen. He's going to break me. Oh, God he's going to destroy me. _He climbs out of the car and leans back in to address me, a grin back on his lips.

"You coming?"

His words set everything in, and I can't help or prevent my action.

I pass out.


	4. Chapter Three

A/N: There will be the occasional chapter told from Axel's point of view. Sorry if you don't like this approach, but I really wanted to experiment with it.

Thanks for reading!

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Chapter Three

Axel's Point-of-View

She passed out.

Well…that's a first. I've had a number of nervous girls sit in this car, but I can't say one has ever actually passed out. I can't exactly blame her. This has to be a pretty unfortunate situation in her eyes… But damn, passing out? That seems just a bit dramatic. This isn't the end of the world, is it? Surely anyone would prefer being here than back at that tiny, disgusting shop.

I run a hand through my hair, look up at the clear sky, and sigh.

God, what am I getting myself into? Yes, I had gone out to the market today to find a new girl after finally growing lonely since my last one took off. Yes, this girl is very pretty. _And will probably be much, much prettier after a bath_, I think while wrinkling my nose up. But I can already tell she's going to be a handful. Don't get me wrong; I've dealt with one or two resistant servants before. This one is going to make those past girls look like tame little kittens, though. I just know it.

Renton comes around the car and speaks: "Sir, should I get someone to carry the young lady upstairs?" His voice effectively breaks my train of thought, and I realize I still have a passed out girl on my hands. I wave a hand at him nonchalantly.

"No, don't bother, Renton. I've got this," I reply before walking to the other side of the car. I open her door and gently lift her up into my arms. I'm surprised by how light she is. I could tell from looking at her that she could use a few extra pounds, but I hadn't figured her to be so malnourished. _What did you really expect getting her from such a squalid place? You should know better than to go into that side of the market. _ I shake my head, trying to dislodge the little voice.

I can't even explain why I did it. I never go into that part of the market. I've always preferred to get my new servants from the more upscale, high-end shops. That's where I started today, and there were plenty of pretty girls who seemed more than willing to come home with me. Something just seemed missing, and before I knew what was happening, I had ended up in what's affectionately referred to as "the hole."

It's really surprising to be in a very beautiful, immaculate place one minute and a filthy, dilapidated place the next. I think it was sheer curiosity that kept me walking along that street, quite frankly. The girls and boys there were so different from the ones just a few streets back. They dropped their gazes out of fear, not respect, as I walked by. A few braver ones mumbled pleas to help them. They weren't taken care of, and many of them looked ready to keel over any minute.

I had actually been about to turn around, but then I saw her. She had her eyes cast downward like nearly everyone else, but she was smiling. No, not smiling; she was full out grinning as though enjoying some private joke. She was as dirty as everyone else on the street, but that grin set her apart. The grin brought life and fire to her eyes, making her seem to almost glow. My breath hitched and my heart started pounding and I just knew I had to have her.

When I spoke to her, even her sharp tongue seemed charming. At that point, I knew I was beyond help. Nothing was going to stop me at that point. Even finding out who she is didn't deter me.

Carrying her through my front door, though, I'm not so sure about my decision. I suppose it doesn't matter at this point; a deal is a deal, and I always honor a deal.

I get her upstairs and contemplate dropping her onto the bed that'll soon be hers. I think better of it, not wanting to dirty the sheets. _Plus, she'll probably freak out if she wakes up on a strange bed after just being purchased by some guy. _Instead, I walk into the connected bathroom and gently set her down on the floor since the first thing I want to do when she wakes up is get her clean. I sit down against the wall a few feet away from her and rest an arm on my propped up knee. Now all I can do is wait for her to regain consciousness…

"…and hope for the best," I whisper, pinching the bridge of my nose.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The air is warm around me, and I don't immediately open my eyes. Instead, I grapple to unscramble my thoughts. When I remember what has happened and where I am, my stomach sinks, and I'm suddenly extremely tempted to lose consciousness again. Fate, per usual, has a different plan for me.

"I know you're awake; your breathing has changed," comes his soft, raspy voice. My breath hitches, and I realize I can't keep pretending. Slowly, cautiously, I open my eyes and sit up. I look around the room and discover I'm in a bathroom. It's a relatively large bathroom, but there's nothing particularly special or unique about it, just a pretty standard bathroom. Not finding anything to focus on to stall time, I have no choice but to look at the man sitting a few feet away from me. Wanting to avoid those eyes that held me so spell-bound, I take the time to observe his other features.

He's tall, long and lanky. He's wearing dark jeans and a white tee-shirt that hugs his frame rather closely. On the floor next to him, he's discarded what looks like a black trench coat. I glance to his feet and see he's wearing socks; I'm almost curious where his boots went.

I make myself lift my eyes to his face. Like his eyes, the rest of his face is very distinct. His lips are full, but not in a pouty way. He has rather thin eyebrows, and his nose is long and straight. Still avoiding his actual eyes, I make note of the small, upside-down, purple tear drop tattoos under his eyes. _ That had to hurt…_ Even more distinguishable than his eyes, though, is his hair. It's long and spiked back, but the violent red color is what makes it so shocking. Finally, after having committed his features to memory, I drop my gaze back down to the floor.

"If you're all done staring, I figured you might like an introduction. Name's Axel. Got it memorized?" he says from across the room. I narrow my eyes at the floor. _What a stupid catchphrase. _ Silence ensues for a few moments before he speaks again, "Typically, that's where you'd introduce yourself in return." _Is he serious? What's he playing at?_

"You already know my name," I say quietly, a slight, angry rasp in my voice.

"Sure, but it's always nice to remember your manners, don't you think?" I can practically hear the laughter in his voice. I remain silent and pretend the tile I'm staring at is the most interesting thing in the world. After what feels like forever, Axel sighs and I hear shuffling. I glance up enough to see that he's gotten up from his sitting position and is now standing against the wall. "You don't want to talk to me? That's fine. How about we get you a bath and get some food in you and see how you feel then?" My eyes dart up to look into his face, thinking he's joking, but I can't find any trace of humor in his features.

"What do you mean?" I whisper.

"Uh, well, you're filthy, which I'm sure doesn't make you feel very good, and I'm sure as hell not too fond of it," he says with a slight wrinkling of his nose. I feel a bit of anger flare through me.

"It's not like I could exactly prevent it," I hiss up to him. He blinks, clearly taken aback.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to offend you. Just trying to help out here," he says, holding his hands up in surrender. I glare slightly at him, but don't say anything else. He recognizes my silence by moving past me to the bathtub. He turns the faucet and water starts filling the tub. Axel dips his hand in the water. When he seems satisfied with the temperature, he moves over to a cabinet and pulls out two fluffy towels and an equally fluffy bathrobe. He places the objects on the stretch of counter next to the sink before turning back to the cabinet. He looks back over to me. "Cinnamon or vanilla?"

"What?" I ask, confused. He smiles slightly.

"Soap. Cinnamon or Vanilla?" he repeats. I twist my face up, suddenly feeling incredibly snarky.

"Shouldn't you pick? After all, you _own _me now," I snarl. For the first time, I see his eyes narrow and irritation flash in his eyes. He turns away from me and I watch him take in a few deep breaths before gathering a couple of bottles in his arms.

"Cinnamon. Definitely cinnamon," he says more to himself than to me. He turns around, crosses back over to the bathtub and shuts off the faucet. I smirk a bit, happy to have gotten to him a little.

My smirk falls, though, when he turns back to me, crosses his arms and says, "Alright, come on. Off with the robe and into the water." I gape like a fish before remembering how to speak.

"Wh-What? Aren't you going to leave?" I ask, my voice wavering slightly.

"Sorry, kid. 'Fraid I can't do that," he replies evenly.

"Wh-Why not?" I nearly shout, my mind reeling with possibilities. I'm unsettled when a darkened expression overtakes his face.

"Rather not get into that if you don't mind," he says quietly, almost too quietly. My heart starts racing. _Oh, no. He's going to do it. _My eyes widen, and I start looking around frantically for a way out. Axel's eyebrows dart up at my sudden shift in expression. He uncrosses his arm, puts his hands up, and begins approaching me very slowly as though trying to calm a feral animal. "Hey, what's up with you?" he asks softly. Still sitting on the floor, I scramble backwards as quickly as I can to get away from him.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Don't come any closer!" I demand, panic evident in my voice. I back myself into the wall and pull my knees up to my chest in an attempt to make myself as small as possible. I bring my arms up to shield my face and close my eyes. I feel the air shift around my body and know Axel's kneeling just a few inches from me. A soft whimper forces itself from my throat.

"Hey, calm down, alright? What's wrong?" he asks softly and I almost believe he actually cares. _He's just trying to trick you. Lull you into a false sense of security._

"You're going to hurt me," I whimper, sounding like a little kid.

"What do you mean I'm going to hurt you? I'm just trying to get you cleaned up." The gentle tone is still in his voice.

"No, you're not. You're trying to get me naked so you can…can…" I can't bring myself to say the word, so my voice just drops off. There's a pause before Axel speaks again, realization hitting him.

"What? No! Oh, man, I'm not going to _rape _you, Iris," he says slightly louder, and I notice he sounds surprised. _Don't fall for it._

"Don't lie to me! That's the only reason people buy servants. You lock us up and only bring us out to beat us and have sex with us!" I shout, still not opening my eyes. Axel's hands suddenly clasp around my wrists and pry my hands away from my face. I try to pull my wrists away from him, but he's much stronger than me. I squeeze my eyes shut tighter and turn my face away from him.

"Hey. Hey, look at me," he orders gently but firmly. I shake my head defiantly. He repeats himself, this time a little more forcefully. Fearing more than what I know is already coming, I open my eyes and turn my face back to him, but keep my eyes trained on his chest. One of his hands releases my wrist and comes up to cup my chin. I wince slightly at the contact. He slowly angles my face up to look into his. There's a fire in his eyes, causing my breath to catch slightly. "I don't like repeating myself, so listen carefully. I am not going to rape you. Personally, I prefer my sexual partners willing. I don't expect you to trust me right now, but I swear nothing is going to happen. I just want to get rid of the cloud of dirt surrounding you. That's all I want to do. I promise. Now will you please just do me a favor and get in the water?" His voice sounds sincere and I can't find any trace of dishonesty in his eyes. After a few more moments of us staring each other down, I sigh and nod slightly.

"O-Okay…" I whisper.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Axel's Point-of-View

I smile at Iris when she finally calms down and listens to me. I know she doesn't trust me, but her believing me, even for a moment, is a step in the right direction. I stand up and hold my hands out to her to help her up. She wrinkles her nose a little bit before pushing herself up off the ground and strides past me, ignoring my offer. I sigh. _One step forward, two steps back._

I turn, lean against the wall, and watch her walk over to the bathtub. She dips her hand into the water and grimaces.

"Can I re-run this? It's gone cold," she asks without looking back at me.

"Yeah, go ahead," I say back, slightly amused. Here she is, not having had a bath in who knows how long, and she's complaining about the water being cold. She takes her time pulling the plug and doesn't start the faucet until all the previous water has drained. Then she fiddles with the faucet until it's at just the right temperature before putting the plug back in the drain. She suddenly starts looking around, frowns, and then turns back to me.

"Can I add bubbles to this? Do you have bubbles?" she asks, and she almost looks desperate. I'm a little confused, but cross to the cabinet and grab a bottle for her anyway. I hand it to her, and she walks back over to the tub and pours a very liberal amount of it into the water. After she's satisfied, she goes and sits on the closed toilet seat and stares down at her bare feet as though seeing them for the first time. She sneers slightly before reaching her hand up to her hair. Upon touching it, her sneer deepens and she looks thoroughly disgusted.

"I'm really dirty, aren't I?" she asks. I know she's not looking at me, but I can't help but smile sympathetically.

"It's not _that_ bad," I lie. She turns her head slightly in my direction and looks at me disbelievingly through her lashes. After a few seconds, she scoffs slightly and looks away. I figure that's the end of our conversation. She gets up to check the water level. She seems relieved when she sees it's not full yet. She perches on the edge of the tub and glances at me very quickly before looking at the floor again.

"You know," she starts timidly, "it would make me feel a lot better about this if you told me why you insist on remaining in here." I sigh exasperatedly and run a hand through my hair. As her new master, I know I don't _owe _ her an explanation, but I really can't argue with her logic.

"It's not something I like to discuss, but if it'll help you _that _much, I suppose I can tell you," I say. I'm hoping my slightly harsh tone makes her decide against wanting to know. After a few moments of silence, she looks up at me suddenly and opens her mouth.

"Proceed," she says impatiently. I'm shocked by her tone and, to be honest, a little annoyed. _Oh well. You already got yourself into this. You can't renege now. _I sigh again.

"I was a bit too loose with the first servant I bought. She was a very skittish, panicky girl, and decided that she'd do anything to not be here," I start. Iris glances back at the water level of the bathtub, turns the faucet off, and turns back to me. When she doesn't move, I know she's waiting to hear the rest of the story before dis-robing.

"So what's that have to do with bathing?" she asks, keeping her eyes trained on my face.

"Well, even if a girl I buy is perfectly clean, I still prefer she bathe here first thing. I don't know why; it's just a habit of mine, I guess," I continue. "Anyway, the first girl, the panicky girl, I brought her home and brought her upstairs to a bathroom that has since been destroyed-" Iris's brow wrinkles in confusion as I say this "-Like I said, she was acting very skittish, but I didn't really think anything of it. I ran her a bath, laid out towels for her, and told her to take all the time she needed. Then I left the room. Well, time passed. After what seemed like way too long to be in a bath, even for a woman, I came back up to check on her. I knocked on the door, but she didn't answer. After she didn't answer a second time, I walked in, approached the tub and found her there. She had drowned herself. Since then, I've always made sure to not let that happen again," I finish quietly. I'm staring at the floor and suddenly wonder when I averted my gaze. Finally, I look up at Iris and see she's still watching me. Her face is considerably paler now under the dirt.

"If that happened with your very first servant, why would you get another?" she asks, not unkindly. I shrug.

"I really don't have an answer for that one. Hoped she was a fluke, I guess," I answer, refusing to look away from her again. After what seems like an eternity, she finally breaks our gazes by standing up.

"At least turn around," she says, and the mood in the room shifts immediately. I smile slightly at her bravado and dramatically do as she asks. I hear some shuffling, the sound of fabric falling to the floor, and finally the shifting of water and bubbles. Silence settles back into the room.

"Can I turn back around now?" I ask, still smiling.

"Yeah," she responds in a whisper. I turn around and can't prevent my smile from turning into a grin. She sunk her body so low into the tub that all I can see in the mass of white bubbles is from her lips up. I put my hand over my mouth to hide my grin, not wanting to make her feel any more awkward. _Well, now I know why she wanted the bubbles. _That's when I notice something she must've missed.

"Um, I have a question," I say while forcing a laugh back down into my throat. Her eyes narrow.

"Yes?"

I'm almost giggling as I point over to the sink area, "Would you like the shampoo, conditioner, and soap?" Her eyes look over and widen slightly.

"Yes…um…any chance you could bring it over here?" she asks quietly. I raise my eyebrows.

"Forgetting our manners, aren't we?" I drawl with a grin.

"Could you _please _bring me everything?" she practically hisses. My grin gets bigger and I chuckle softly. I walk over and grab the bottles and make my way over to her. When I get closer, she sinks down even farther into the bubbles. I place each bottle on the edge of the tub and back up to my spot against the wall again. She stares at the bottles for what feels like forever. I start growing impatient.

"If you don't get a move on, I swear I will come over there and do everything for you," I warn softly. She looks at me fearfully before dunking backwards into the water. She comes back up after a moment with wet hair and pushes it out of her face. She reads the bottles, grabs the shampoo, squirts a small puddle of it into her palm, and starts scrubbing rather vigorously. The white shampoo suds slowly start turning a dark gray color. She rinses and repeats until the suds start coming off white. She smiles slightly and applies the conditioner, piling her hair on top of her head. She glances around the edge of the tub.

"Uh…do you have a loofa? Preferably a clean one?" she asks. _Oh, I forgot about that._ Silently, I go back to the cabinet and grab one. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable again, I toss it over to her and it lands on top of the bubbles. _How much bubble stuff did she put in there?_ "Thank you," she whispers.

"Oh, um, you're welcome," I say, shocked by her actually thanking me. She takes the loofa and pours soap onto it. After working it into a lather, a small frown appears on her face.

"Could you turn around again? I'd really rather you didn't watch this," she says.

"Sure," I reply, turning my back to her again. I hear her stand up and listen as the loofa grates quietly against her skin. The sound is punctuated occasionally by slight hisses, and I'm curious to know why she's making such noises. "You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, fine. My…uh…my skin is just over-sensitive apparently," she responds. Her voice sounds slightly shaky, but I choose to take her words at face value. After a few more minutes, she speaks again: "I'm just going to rinse my hair out and I'll be done, so you might as well stay turned around."

"Alright," I agree, feeling annoyed again that _she's _giving _me _orders. There's a soft splash followed by a few moments of silence before I hear the water start draining and her wet feet padding across the floor to where I left the towels. She takes a few minutes to dry herself off.

"Okay, I'm done," she announces. I turn around. Her hair is wrapped up in one of the towels as though in a turban and she has the bathrobe I put out wrapped snugly around herself. She keeps her arms wrapped around herself too, as though making sure the robe stays shut despite the fact that she's tied it. She shifts, uncomfortable under my gaze before breaking the silence again. "Well, what now?" she asks.

"Oh, um, clothes and food, I suppose," I say, breaking my gaze. She nods.

"Alright…Well, it's your house, so lead the way," she says, a slight bite to her words. I struggle to keep my irritation under control and stride out of the room. In the hallway, I glance behind me to make sure she's following. I smile when I discover that she is, silently at that.

_Maybe there's some hope for her after all._


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

I follow Axel out into the hallway. I know I'm pushing my luck with my mouth. I know he's getting frustrated with me. I resign to hold my tongue as best I can through the rest of the evening at least.

He leads me through a set of double door and into a very large, very luxurious bedroom. The walls are white but are covered with abstract painting. Each one has a similar color scheme: black and white with the random odd splash of a single color. Each painting's random color is different and I find myself wanting to observe each painting at great length.

Directly across the room from the main set of door is a set of windowed doors with heavy drapes on them. These ones, I can tell, lead out onto a balcony.

The carpet beneath my feet is incredibly plush and of a gentle cream color. In the corner by the balcony doors is an overstuffed armchair with a small table next to it. The table has a number of books piled on it. There is a door a few feet from this miniature sitting area that, I assume, leads to a master bathroom.

Halfway between these doors and those is a huge four-poster bed. Even from here, I can tell the dark wooded bed frame has ornate carvings in it. I feel slightly annoyed by the lack of hangings on this bed. _Something so pretty should have drapes…_ The mattress is decorated with a red comforter; it has gold and burnt orange swirls gracing it, giving it the illusion of having fire dancing on it. The fluffy pillows have covers of the same red color and look to be made of silk. Although I can't see the sheets, I assume they're also silken. The bright colors against the dark wood create an absolutely stunning visual. There's an end table of the same wood flanking each side of the bed.

Directly across from the bed, next to the bathroom door, is a beautiful fireplace. The brick surrounding the grate is dark red and brown, which provides a lovely, yet not overpowering, contrast to the wooden mantle build around the brick. The sides of the mantle are spiraled and appear to be carved. The top piece of the mantle continues the swirled design but adds in what looks like flame designs. _I'm sensing a pattern here._ There are more books along the top of the mantle between two heavy bookends.

To the other side of the fireplace is another door. This one, Axel disappears into. Cautiously, I approach it and peer inside. I'm shocked to discover it's a huge, walk-in closet. The rails are lined with clothes. _Geez…how many clothes does a man need? _On the back wall of the closet is a dresser. Axel heads for this and opens up two drawers.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any women's clothing right now. My last servant ran off and took everything she could with her, including clothing," he explains. _One chick offs herself and another runs away. Is this guy really that bad? _My gut clenches and my skin gets slightly clammy. Axel still has his back to me, so he doesn't notice my suddenly tense posture. After rustling around for a few more seconds, he pulls something out of one drawer and something else out of the other. "Alright, these'll probably work for the night." He walks over to me and hands me a pair of black sweatpants and a white tee-shirt. I shift on my feet.

"Um…do you have anything long-sleeved instead?" I ask. His brow furrows, so I quickly continue. "It's just that I…uh… I get pretty cold at night…so I just…like longer sleeves," I finish lamely. After a beat, Axel shrugs, takes the shirt back and swaps it for a long sleeved gray one.

"Better?" he asks.

"Yes," I say, nodding. "Thanks." He nods and we exit the closet.

"I'm gonna grab a blow dryer from my bathroom while you dress," he announces, heading towards the door I originally guessed to be a bathroom.

"A blow dryer?" I immediately ask.

"Yeah," he says, not stopping. "For your hair. Don't want you walking around with wet hair and getting a cold."

"Oh, right. Okay," I say quietly as he disappears through the bathroom door. As soon as it shuts, I pull on the sweatpants and shirt as quickly as I can. I adjust the sweatpants drawstring to make sure they stay up and ball the excess length of each sleeve in my hands. I find myself extremely grateful for the cover the clothes provide. Axel walks back in soon after and looks at me.

"Do you want socks?" he asks, glancing down at my bare feet. I curl my toes slightly before shaking my head. "Alright. Go ahead and have a seat on my bed and take the towel off your head." I furrow my eyebrows.

"Why don't you just let me dry it in your bathroom?" I ask, but still head over to sit on the bed, my pulse quickening just slightly.

"Two reasons," he starts as he follows me, "One, I don't like other people in my bathroom. Two, servant number three tried attacking me with this blow dryer while my back was turned."

"Got quite a track record, don't you?" I mumble before catching myself. I immediately tense, just knowing that would finally push him over the edge. Surprisingly, though, he laughs.

"Yeah, 'spose I do," He says. I perch myself on the very edge of the bed and he takes a seat, cross-legged, behind me after plugging in the device. He sets it down and gently unravels the towel from my hair since I hadn't. I feel my wet hair tumble down my back. There's a sudden soft tugging as he runs a hairbrush through it, working the tangles out carefully. I find it almost soothing.

"Your hair is really long," Axel notes. I stiffen up almost immediately.

"I'm not cutting it," I retort, thinking this is what he's hinting at. He chuckles softly.

"Not asking you to, kid. Just making an observation. I actually like it; it's pretty," he replies patiently.

"Oh," I mumble as he continues. When my hair is finally all brushed out, he picks up the blow dryer. A second of silence ensues before he clicks it on. Having forgotten how loud they are, I jump as its sound fills the air. Axel ignores my sudden jump and simply aims the jet of warm air at a section of my hair he's lifted into his hand. He continues this process with the rest of my hair, occasionally curling pieces around his fingers to produce waves. _He's done this a few times, _I note. A short while later, he cuts the device off.

"Huh. Your hair is _a lot _lighter than I thought it was," he says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well…what color would you say your hair is?" I roll my eyes.

"It's blonde."

"What shade of blonde would you call it?"

"A very light blonde," I reply, my impatience growing. "Why?"

"Let's just say when I saw you in the market today, I thought you were a light brunette," he says quietly. I grimace. _I knew I was filthy, but damn. _ After a bit of an awkward pause, he hands me a mirror and asks, "Well, what do you think? How'd I do?"

I take the mirror from him and hold it up. I gasp. It's the first time I've seen my reflection in a long time. My hair has grown several inches, now reaching the small of my back in soft waves. _He did really well, I have to admit._ I stare into my violet eyes and notice the dark circles under them. My cheeks seem hollow and my bone structure looks too severe. My nose is slightly crooked from an old break that didn't heal right, and the smattering of freckles across it and my cheekbones makes me look sickly in my opinion. Overall, a face I had once thought was pretty no longer held its appeal. I handed the mirror back to Axel as I felt tears start to gather along the bottom rims of my eyes.

"My hair looks lovely, thank you," I whisper, incredibly happy he can't see my face. He can hear something in my voice, though, and crawls off the bed to kneel in front of me. I avert my eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asks, seeing my forming tears. One falls when he asks and I furiously wipe it away.

"Nothing," I say harshly.

"Tell me," he orders gently.

"It's just…my face…I look terrible," I say. I feel stupid and ashamed for letting something as trivial as my appearance bother me when I have more significant problems, like the fact I'm now a servant in the household of a man I've known for a whole three or so hours. To my shock and slight anger, Axel laughs. "What? What are you laughing at?" I demand.

"You, honestly. I find you kind of amusing. You're a very pretty girl, kid. All you need is some plumping up and some good rest and you'll look good as new," he says. I can't help but smile a little, his laughter contagious. I wipe my eyes again. "There we go," he says. "That's better. Let's go get you something to eat, alright?" I nod.

He stands up and offers me his hands like he did in the bathroom earlier. Seeing as how I'm sitting on a very squishy surface and my feet don't touch the ground, I decide to take them and let him pull me to my feet. As soon as I'm steady, he lets go and heads toward the main door, beckoning me to follow.

He leads me back into the hallway and to a large staircase. When we reach the ground story, I gasp. To the left, my view slightly obscured by a wide archway, is an expansive living area. My eyes are a bit blurry, but I can make out a sofa and another fireplace. Directly across from the bottom of the stairway is the main entrance to the house. Axel leads me to the right and through another archway into a dining area. The table seats a modest six people, giving me the impression he doesn't have many guests often. Axel pulls out a seat and gestures for me to sit. I do and he takes a seat across from me. Almost immediately, Renton walks in.

"Evening, sir. Evening, miss. What can I have prepared for you?" he asks formally.

"Nothing for me, Renton, but please have a bowl of chicken broth and a couple of dinner rolls made for the lady," Axel directs to Renton. He turns to me, "We wouldn't want to upset your stomach first night here." I just look down at the table.

"Very good, sir. Anything to drink for the miss or yourself?"

"A tall glass of cold water for her and a whiskey sour for me, but just one tonight."

"Coming right up, sir," Renton says before walking through a swinging door. He returns quite soon with the drinks and places them in front of us before bowing back out. Axel swirls his drink before taking a small sip. He nods approvingly before turning his eyes to me.

"Go ahead, drink. I figure they don't give you much to drink in that shop if they don't bother feeding you," he says. Not wanting to annoy him, I reach out and grip the glass. I take a sip, but the sip quickly turns into a gulp followed by another and another. Before I realize what's happened, I've emptied the glass. I take a deep breath before sighing. I glance up and see that Axel has a satisfied smirk on his face. "Good?" he asks. I just nod slightly.

Thankfully, Axel says nothing more until Renton brings out a bowl of steaming brother and two fresh looking rolls and sits it in front of me. "Thank you very much, Renton."

"My pleasure, sir, miss," he says before leaving again. He looks at me and raises his eyebrows, obviously waiting for me to start eating. I pick up the spoon and dip it into the broth. Slowly, I bring it up to my lips and let it trickle into my mouth and down my throat. It's warm and feels wonderful. I take one of the rolls, rip off a bit, dip it into the broth and pop it into my mouth. It practically melts in my mouth before I swallow. I close my eyes, tilt my head back, and moan slightly.

"I didn't realize broth and bread was so good," Axel says lightly, effectively breaking me from my thoughts. I clear my throat awkwardly and continue eating. A few bites later, I decide to say something.

"Even the simplest things become luxuries when you're denied them for long enough," I reply quietly. I finish off a second roll and down the rest of the broth quickly. "I'm really tired. Would it be alright if I go to sleep early?" I ask, not giving him time to say anything about my first comment.

"Yeah, of course. You've had a bit of a long day," Axel replies as he stands. "I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." I follow him out of the dining room and back up the staircase. He leads me back towards the bathroom I was in earlier and opens a door just past it. He ushers me inside. "This is your room. The bathroom is right next door if you need it through the night. Is there anything you need before I go?"

"No, I'm alright. Thanks," I say. I shuffle my feet for a moment. "Well, good night then."

"Yeah, good night," he replies slowly before stepping back and closing the door. I let a few minutes pass before turning the knob in my hand. It's unlocked, just as he insinuated it would be.

_Perfect, _I think with a huge smile.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

I'm suddenly having second thoughts as the clock on the nightstand shows the time getting later and later.

_This isn't going to work. There's no way._ _Even if I can make it out of the house and off of the grounds, where am I supposed to go? Well, there are still a number of towns and places where people would probably allow me to stay in their homes for a night or two. _I smile at the reassurance the thought brings before my negative thoughts continue, wiping the smile off my face._ It's November and all I have on is a thin shirt and sweatpants. I'll freeze to death before I even reach home. _My face falls. _But I won't freeze before making the next town… It's relatively close. I can probably get there in a few hours if I'm quick enough. _I nod to myself at the plan. _But do I really want to? Do I want to risk everything out there and possibly die for something that might not even pan out? I could get home and sent directly back to the market._

But maybe not._ I might get there and be able to get enough people riled up to help me. It'd be a long shot, but it'd be worth it if it works, right? The possible outcomes greatly outweigh the potential risks, don't they? _I nod again, resolutely this time. I look over to the clock again and see it's half past midnight. _Well, if I'm gonna do it, I better do it now. Just stop thinking about it and do it._

I lift myself into a sitting position and put my feet on the floor. I creep across the room to the door, crack it open and look down the hallway. There's no light coming from below Axel's door or any other room. I tiptoe out and reach the stairs where I stop to listen for a moment. It's completely quiet, so I slowly make my way down the stairs. At the bottom, I glance both ways and see no one. I make my way across the foyer and reach the main entrance. I smile as I silently slide the lock out of place and grip my hand around the knob.

The foyer light clicks on. I spin around and my heart stops. Axel is standing at the bottom of the stairs in a pair of pajama pants. He's leans against the stairway handrail and crosses his arms

"Congratulations, Iris. You made it to the front door. I can't say anyone's ever managed that one before." His words are dripping with sarcasm. "Next time, though, you might consider looking behind you as you sneak down the stairs. You never know who might be coming out of their room for something to drink." He waits for me to say or do something, but I don't. I remain where I'm standing, my hand still frozen around the knob. My breathing is labored and a cold sweat is trickling down the back of my neck.

_Think, Iris, think. You have to do something one way or the other._

After a few more silent moments, Axel sighs and pushes himself off the rail. He uncrosses his arms and holds a hand out in my direction.

"Come on, kid. We both know you're not going anywhere." His words cause rage and desperation to flood through me.

I swiftly throw the door open and am halfway across the lawn before I realize what I'm doing. _Too late to stop now. _I hear Axel running behind me, swearing.

"Iris, stop! Damn it, Iris, stop!" He sounds a good ways away, but I urge my legs to go faster to put more distance between us. "Fuck!" he growls.

_Go, go, go, go, go, _I repeat in my head. Suddenly, there's something gaining shape ahead of me. _Shit, fence! _As I get closer, I see it's a tall wrought iron fence. I take quick note of the horizontal bars spaced every few feet up the fence. _Those are your only hope._ When I'm close enough, I jump to grab onto a higher bar. I feel the edge of the metal cut into my palms, but I force myself to push past it. My feet make contact with a lower rung, and I use it to push up enough to grab onto the next bar. I pull myself up high enough to get my feet onto the next bar. I continue this for a few more seconds before looking up. _Just a few more feet. Hurry up before he gets here!_

Before I can grab onto the next bar, though, a pair of arms wrap tightly around my waist and yank me from the fence.

"NO!" I shout. I start screaming at the top of my lungs and thrashing about, trying to get him to let go of me.

"Stop screaming! Who do you expect is going to come and help you, huh? Nobody!" Axel shouts at me as he starts pulling me back to the house. I quit screaming, but continue trying to fight out of his grip. After a few feet, I start losing steam and he's able to move faster. Apparently this pace isn't good enough for him, though. He growls angrily, picks me up, and throws me over his shoulder. I start pounding on his back, but it doesn't seem to faze him at all. I continue anyway against hope.

Once in the house, he kicks the door shut, heads up the stairs, and turns toward his room. He dumps me onto his bed before going back to shut and lock his door. I roll off his bed as quickly as possible to face him. His face is red as he stalks over to me. I stand my ground even when he's right in front of me. He's a good eight inches or so taller than me, so I have to angle my face up to look into his. He is definitely not happy.

"Would you like to explain what the hell just happened?" he asks. His voice is dangerously quiet. I glare up at him.

"I don't owe you an explanations for anything," I say just as quietly. A growl rumbles in his chest as he glowers down at me. I don't break eye contact, refusing to back down. Finally, he breaks it and steps back with a swear. He turns away from me and brings his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"It's been a long day. Let's just get some sleep and talk about this in the morning. Maybe things will look better then," he says. I can hear the forced calmness in his voice. I scoff.

"I doubt it," I say with a snarky edge in my voice. His shoulders heave as he takes a very deep breath.

"Can we _please _just fucking go to sleep?" he snarls.

"Fine," I hiss back. I walk past him to head back to my room, but he catches my wrist.

"Oh, no. I don't think so. You'll be staying in here tonight. You really think I'm stupid enough to leave you alone after a stunt like that?" he says incredulously, looking at me like I'm the dumb one. I yanks my wrist back from him and glare. He glares just as meanly back and gives me a slight push towards his bed.

"I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you," I respond harshly.

"Fine! Sleep on the floor for all I care!" He hisses, throwing his hands into the air. He stalks over to the bed, throws back the covers, and flops down with his back to me. "And don't bother trying the door. It's alarmed."

"Why would alarm your bedroom door but not your main door?"

"Because I'm awesome. Now shut up and let me sleep."

I continue standing there for a few more minutes before giving up. My shoulders slump, and a sigh escapes my lips.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep without messing up your bed," I say quietly. I hear a soft grumble from him.

"What are you talking about?" he asks, flipping over to look at me.

I open my clenched fists and wince slightly at the movement, the pain finally setting in from cutting them on the fence. I hold them out towards him. He looks and sighs. He pushes himself into a sitting position, runs his hand down his face, and gets off the bed to go into his bathroom.

"Sit down," he calls, and he sounds exhausted. Defeated, I plop my bottom down onto his bed, my feet hanging down the edge. A few moments later, Axel comes back in carrying a bowl and a small bundle. "Scoot back," he orders softly. I move farther onto the bed, and he sits cross-legged in front of me, balancing the bowl in his lap. I can see now it's full of water. He drops the bundle next to him. It consists of a hand towel, a roll of bandage, and a small tube of cream. He picks up the towel, dips it into the water, and holds out his hand for mine. I put my right hand into his, palm up. He presses the wet towel to the bloodied cut.

"Shit," I hiss while trying to pull my hand back. He grips his hand around it to prevent me from moving.

"Don't move. The sooner we get this over with the better. You deserve it anyway," he murmurs. I stop moving and grit my teeth through the stinging. When the first hand is cleaned, he smears some of the cream on and wraps it snugly with some bandage. He repeats this with the other hand and gets up to put everything away. While he's gone, I make my way under the covers, pull them up above my head, and lay as close as possible to the edge, my back to where I know Axel will be laying.

He comes back in a few minutes later. He looks over at me and sighs before turning the bedroom light off. I feel the mattress shift as he climbs into bed. I sneak a glance over my shoulder and see he also has his back to me. I'm suddenly exhausted. I curl up on myself and a single tear slides down my cheek. I close my eyes and feel sleep coming down around me.

On the edges of the darkness, there's screaming. There are knives and blood and more screaming. So, so much screaming. There are whips and chains and fists and bloodied up shoes. There's pain. There's pain that never stops.

Never stops.


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Axel's Point of View

_What a night. _

I sigh, roll onto my back and put my hands behind my head, unable to sleep. Iris fell asleep a while ago, her breathing even and deep. I glance at my clock. 2:30 a.m. It's been an hour since we settled into bed. Typically I fall asleep immediately, but not tonight. There are too many thoughts bouncing around in my head.

_Am I really that bad? Does being here really suck _that _much? _I shake my head. No, that can't be it. Asides the first servant I had, all the others warmed up to me rather quickly. _Then why have the past two ran off? _I groan quietly, pushing the thought away._ Think of who she is, Axel. Of course she wants to get out of here. It's not like she'd have anything to go back to, though. Everything she knew would be gone. Hell, everything any of us knew as normal is gone; he made sure of that. But…but maybe she doesn't know that. That filthy shopkeep probably never told her anything going on. Maybe I should…No, no, no, I shouldn't. That would be stupid. She already hates me, so why dig my grave deeper?_

Iris shifts in her sleep and a quiet moan comes from her. It's not a good sounding moan, though. It sounds like a moan of pain. Suddenly, she flips over and is facing me. I look over and observe her face. Her lips are pursed and her brow furrows. There's a slight twitch under her right eye. Suddenly, her lips slacken and fall slightly open as a noise that can only be described as a whine escapes her. I raise my eyebrows, a bit concerned. She quiets down and her face goes smooth. I turn my face back up to the ceiling and close my eyes, deciding to try sleeping again.

I'm almost asleep when Iris forces me out of it. She's suddenly thrashing around, screaming. Her hands are raking down her face repeatedly. I sit up quickly and grab her wrists.

"Iris, Iris, wake up! Hey, wake up," I say loudly as I pull her hands away from her face. She suddenly stops screaming and sits up violently, nearly knocking her head into mine. Her eyes are wide, panicked, and brimming with tears. She's breathing way too quickly, and I'm scared she's going to pass out. She looks fervently around the room before locking onto me. I know I must have the same expression as her. She stares into my eyes for a few seconds before her face crumples and the tears start falling. She moves and is soon straddling my lap, her arms around my neck and her face buried in my shoulder. I'm too shocked to move for a moment, but soon come to my senses and wrap my arms around her. I run my hand up and down her back in what I hope is a comforting gesture while making shushing noises.

Slowly, her sobs start quieting and turn into hiccups shortly after. Once she's stopped crying completely, she pulls her face away from my shoulder and looks into my face. Her eyes look glassy and her face is red from crying and the clawing. The expression on her face is blank, and I'd almost believe she's still sleeping. Almost.

"I'm tired," she whispers. I nod.

"L-Let's get some sleep, then," I whisper back, still very confused. She nods back and moves off of me. When I lay back down, she scoots very close to me and puts her head on my chest. Her arm wraps around my stomach. About ten minutes later, her breathing on my chest becomes even and soft. It feels content. I reach down and run my fingers through her hair.

_What the hell just happened?_

I want to dwell on it and overanalyze it, but I choose not to. Instead, I just close my eyes and enjoy this moment, however fleeting it is.

I finally manage to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

I open my eyes in the morning and groan slightly. It's much too bright in the room, my hands smart, my face stings, and the rest of my body aches. I stare over at the double doors leading onto the balcony for a few minutes before I remember all the events of the last 24-hours.

_Ugh. He has to be pissed. I wouldn't be surprised if he takes me back to the market or beats me to within an inch of my life. I probably deserve it…_

I close my eyes tightly, trying to block such thoughts out. That's when I notice a weight around my waist. I lift the covers slightly, look down, and see Axel's arm wrapped around me. Cautiously, I turn in his grip to face him, angle my face up, and find him still sleeping. His face is smooth, his lips slightly parted, and he looks incredibly peaceful. His body radiates warmth, and the grip he has around me is firm and strong. For the first time since meeting him, I register that he is actually rather attractive. _It doesn't matter how attractive he is! He's your "master" now, you idiot. He is allowed to beat you, starve you, push you around, and rape you and there's nothing you can do about it. Stop thinking about his attractiveness and focus on not giving him a reason to do any of the above things! _I know the voice in my head is right, but I also suspect it's much too late to prevent any of those vile things…

Axel stirs next to me and I quickly close my eyes to feign sleep. I don't want him to know I was staring at him. His stirring stops and I feel him stiffen slightly. The hand not around my midriff comes up and moves my hair out of my face. I try not to flinch. He continues stroking my hair, and I can't decide whether I like it or not. This bothers me, so I move slightly to try to make him think I'm just waking up. It must work since he removes the hand from my hair. I flutter my eyes before opening them fully. I look up at him and act surprised to see him.

"Good morning," He rasps, looking down at me. I find myself trapped by his eyes again. They're so deep and look incredibly gentle while he's sleepy. My breath hitches as I stare. Finally, I snap out of it. I feel my face grow red, clear my throat, and break eye contact. I shift to move away from him and am pleasantly surprised when he lets me go immediately.

"Good morning," I say while sitting up. "So what happens today?" He blinks up at me, surprise all over his face.

"Uh…" he falters. "How about you get a shower and everything and meet me downstairs for breakfast?"

"Alright. What're we having?" I ask politely.

"What do you want?" he asks, obviously wary about my attitude shift.

"Um…well…I like waffles and bacon…can we have that?"

"Sure," he shrugs. "But you'll have to eat slowly. I really don't want you throwing up because of too much food too soon.

"Okay," I say while nodding. He stares at me for another minute before getting out of bed. He stretches his arms over his head and I can't help but notice how the muscles in his back contract and ripple. I quickly shake my head, hoping to dislodge the thought. He disappears into his closet and returns a minute later. He hands me a pair of red plaid pajama pants and a black long sleeved shirt.

"I'm going to let you go to your bathroom and do your business alone. If you're not down in the dining room in half an hour, though, I _will _come up to make sure you're okay, understand?" he says sternly. I drop my eyes and nod.

"I'm not going anywhere," I mumble.

"Good," he replies before disappearing into his bathroom.

I clamber out of his bed, through the door, and down the hallway. In the bathroom, the soap and hair care products are still on the lip of the tub. I turn on the showerhead and close the curtain, waiting for steam to fog the room up before stripping down. I don't look in a mirror or look down at my body. If I do, I know I'll start obsessing over it. I unwrap the bandages from my palms and throw them away. I get into the shower and hiss slightly as the hot water hits my flesh. I waste no time in shampooing and conditioning my hair and scrubbing my body down. When I'm done, I shut off the water and step out. Once again avoiding the mirror, I pull on the clothes Axel gave me. I shuffle in the cabinets and find a hair dryer. I plug it in and dry my hair as fast as possible before leaving the bathroom.

I glance at a clock on the wall in the hallway. 10:15 a.m. I don't know if I finished in the half and hour time frame he gave me, but I feel fairly confident I did. I make my way downstairs and through the dining room door. Axel is already sitting down drinking a mug of coffee. He looks up at me when I walk in and nods to the chair opposite him. I sit and Renton comes in almost instantly.

"Can I get you anything to drink, miss?" he asks. I smile slightly at him.

"Um…could I have apple juice?" I ask nervously. He smiles back at me.

"Absolutely. Right away, miss," and he's gone. He comes back a moment later and sets the glass down in front of me.

"Thank you."

"You're most welcome, miss." I peek up at Axel and see he's folded his hands together and is resting his head on them, effectively concealing his mouth. I look back down, but I know he saw me looking at him.

"Um…about last night," I whisper, wanting to just get it over with.

"Which part?" he interrupts. I look up, startled.

"I-I'm sorry? What do you mean?"

"Are we talking about your escape attempt or your violent night terror that nearly gave me a heart attack?" I'm shocked and put my face in my hands.

"That really happened? I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have had to deal with that," I whisper.

"Hey, it's fine. Shit happens," I hear Axel say.

"A lot of shit happens to me," I mumble. A very pregnant pause fills the air. Axel clears his throat.

"And about your escape attempt?" he asks, and I can hear an edge in his voice.

"It's not going to happen again," I say weakly into my hands.

"Damn right, it's not," he hisses. After a few moments of silence, he sighs. "Look at me," he orders. I lift my face from my hands and look up into his face. "Let's get some things straight. I'm a pretty laid-back guy. I try not to make a big deal about things, but I do have a few rules I expect followed. First, everyone is allowed one stupid act of desperation. You used yours last night. Second, you to do something when I ask you to with little sass. I expect to be respected. Three, I work hard to have nice things in my home; don't purposely break them. If you accidently knock into something and it breaks, that's one thing. But don't go around deliberately breaking things when you're angry. Following?" he asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Y-Yes," I reply, a bit unnerved by his tone.

"Alright. Those are my only rules. You're more than welcome to be in any room of this house at any time unless told otherwise. There's an intercom in each room if you need anything. You can eat whenever you want, sleep whenever you want, etcetera. This is your home now too. Like I said, I'm a laid-back guy. You should know, though, that if you break any of my rules, you _will _be punished accordingly. Got everything?"

"Yes," I say quietly with a slight shudder. "Am…Am I going to be punished for last night?"

"No. Like I said, one act of desperation. Now that we've talked about it, it's forgotten," he replies before taking another sip of his coffee. I nod and take a long drink from my juice.

As though timed, Renton comes in with two plates, butter, and syrup in his hands. Each plate has three waffles and multiple slices of bacon on them. My mouth starts watering when he puts the plate in front of me. I pick up a slice of bacon and take a bite. It's like heaven on my taste buds. I pick up a fork and knife and dig into my equally delicious waffles.

"Slowly," Axel warns. I immediately slow down and take smaller bites. After one waffle is gone along with three pieces of bacon, I clear my throat and look up at Axel.

"So…um…what's going to happen today?" I ask. He looks up at me and raises his eyebrows slightly.

"Well, I'd like to get you your own clothes, but first a doctor friend of mine is coming over to give you the once over," he says. I freeze immediately, dropping a piece of bacon back onto my plate.

"What?" I gulp. Axel looks at me quizzically.

"A doctor. Have to make sure there's nothing wrong with you," he explains.

"There isn't," I say sharply, hoping he'll change his mind. His eyebrows shoot up.

"What's up with you, kid? Just a doctor," he says. I put down my utensils and wipe my hands on my pants. I look to the side to avoid his eyes.

"I-I don't want to see a doctor," I say with a hard voice. Apparently my tone was the wrong one to use because Axel's face goes stony.

"Well too bad, kid. I say you're seeing a doc, so you're seeing a doc," his voice is meant to leave no room for discussion, but I can't help myself. I stand up way too quickly and knock over my chair.

"Well too bad for you because I am _not _seeing this doctor," I nearly shout, my stomach clenching. He stands up equally forcefully, but before he can say anything, the doorbell rings. Axel's face breaks into a grin.

"Too late to cancel now," he says cheerfully. He walks around, grabs my wrist and pulls me with him into the foyer. He smiles at me brightly. I grimace and pale.


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Axel lets go of my wrist in the foyer. I consider hauling my butt upstairs to avoid this entire situation, but Axel fixes me with a steely gaze and I'm rooted to the spot. He nods once before throwing the door open dramatically. He steps back to allow the young man entrance, and I'm surprised to see how young he is. He's rather short, but still taller than me, and his build can only be described as slightly feminine. His steel-blue hair is short in the back, but overly long in the front, thus obscuring the right side of his face. I can see his exposed eye and determine that they're an unremarkable blue color.

"Zexion! Thanks for coming on such short notice, man," Axel says while wrapping the young man in a hug. Zexion doesn't seem too thrilled to be embraced and pats Axel awkwardly on the back before pulling away.

"Well, I tried to say no, but you wouldn't let me," he says. His voice is quiet and raspy, but there's a slight edge of annoyance in it. Axel grins, amused, but doesn't say anything else regarding the matter. Zexion looks over to me for a moment before looking back at Axel. "This her?" he asks simply.

"Yep. That's her," Axel replies, the grin still on his face. Zexion approaches me and leans down slightly to look into my face. I feel slightly uncomfortable, but don't look away. After a moment, he smiles a little and straightens up, turning back to Axel.

"You weren't kidding; she is rather pretty," he says. I shift and look down, knowing my face is turning red. "So where are we doing the exam?" Axel shrugs.

"I figured my office would work," he says. Once getting an approving nod from Zexion, Axel starts down a hallway to the side of the stairs I hadn't noticed yesterday. He looks back over his shoulder and looks at me with an eyebrow raised, and I quickly shuffle along behind him. Zexion follows behind me, and I feel like I'm being escorted to my execution. We pass a number of closed doors before stopping in front of one at the end of the hallway. Axel pulls out a key and unlocks it before pushing it open. We file into the room and I look around.

The back wall is made completely of windows looking out over the backyard. The other walls are wood-paneled and give the room a very handsome look. There's a mahogany desk in the center of the room with a rich red rug under it. I don't like the contrast of the red on the cream carpet for some reason, so I look away quickly. On the wall to my left are a series of bookshelves crammed with large, heavy books and binders. There's a worn looking leather couch to my right with a small coffee table in front of it.

Axel puts his hand on my lower back and gives me a small push towards his desk where I notice Zexion has put that crinkly medical paper over the surface.

"Up you go," comes Axel's voice softly near my ear. My eyes widen and I shake my head. "What did we just talk about at breakfast about rules?" he asks equally softly. I gulp, but don't argue. Slowly, I lift myself onto his desk and stare intently at the floor.

"Alright," Zexion starts in his quiet voice near me, "I'm just going to start by asking you a few questions, okay?" His voice sounds sympathetic and reassuring, but I do notice it has an edge of someone who doesn't want to be argued with. I nod, silent. "First name?" he asks and my head snaps up to look at him disbelievingly.

"Hasn't he already told you that?" I ask, nodding towards Axel. Zexion frowns and shakes his head.

"He hasn't told me anything. He just called me this morning asking if I could come give his new servant a check-up," he explained.

"Oh," I say, surprised and confused. Zexion allows me to remain silent for a moment before clearing his throat.

"First name?" he prompts again.

"Iris," I say looking straight ahead of me at the door. I hear Zexion scratch my answer onto paper.

"Last?"

"Weatherly." The scratching sound stops.

"What?" he asks. I look to him and see he's looking at Axel. I turn my eyes to Axel and watch him nod at Zexion. He sighs and runs a hand down his face. "Axel, what are you-"

"Just continue please, Zex," Axel says impatiently. Zexion sighs again.

"Alright. Iris Weatherly. Birthday?"

"July first."

"Age?"

"Nineteen." The air grows tense and silent again. Zexion looks at me with raised eyebrows before looking back to Axel.

"Nineteen, Axel? Quite younger than your usual picks," he hisses. I look over at Axel and see he's a bit surprised, too. He holds his hands up defensively.

"Hey, I didn't know she's was nineteen."

"You're _supposed _to ask these questions before buying a servant, Axel," Zexion admonishes. Axel shrugs.

"Eh. It's not a big deal. She's nineteen, I'm twenty-four. It's only a five year difference," he replies nonchalantly, but I do notice a slight quiver in his voice. I smile inwardly. _Good. Maybe that means he'll no longer find me sexually appealing. _The silence ensues for a minute longer before Zexion breaks it.

"Alright. Iris Weatherly. Nineteen," his voice has growing annoyance. "Blonde hair. Violet eyes. How tall are you?"

"Um…about five foot four, I think?"

"Alright. Sexually active?" I start and look at him quickly.

"I'm not," I spit out harshly. Zexion rolls his eyes slightly.

"I know you're not with Axel, yet, but when is the last time you were?" I turn my eyes to the floor.

"I haven't been," I say, blushing again. After another silence, Zexion growls slightly.

"Axel. Seriously? Iris Weatherly. Nineteen. Virgin? I am _this _close to strangling you," he says, but his voice is dangerously low. I glace up and see Axel has gone completely white.

"I-I-I didn't know! How was I supposed to know that?" Axel shouts at his friend, throwing his hands into the air.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe ask the shop owner? Where did you get her?"

Axel hesitates before answering, "The Hole," he says, his temper suddenly gone. I look to Zexion and he looks as though he can't comprehend what his friend has just said.

"Axel…you have to be the dumbest person I have ever met." Axel runs a hand through his hair.

"Can we please just continue this?" He sounds tired. Zexion growls lowly again, but continues.

"Well, we get to omit the STI's test. Let's see. Iris, do you have any hearing or vision complaints?" he asks, turning towards me.

"I hear fine, but my vision is kind of blurry," I say. He nods, shuffles around for a few minutes, and runs me through a vision test. Once we're done, he writes something down and nods.

"You need glasses. Unfortunately, I don't have any sample frames with me, so I'm just going to pick some for you when I get back to the office. I'll have them done and sent over by this evening, okay?" I nod, but I'm not very excited about letting him pick out the frames. "Okay, vitals, physical, and then we're done." He pulls a blood pressure cuff out of his bag, wraps it around my upper arm without having to move the sleeve, and tightens it. He writes down my blood pressure and grabs onto my wrist. He finds my pulse and looks over at a clock to time it. He writes that down as well. He takes a step back from me. "Okay, stand up," he says and I do. He has me do a variety of strange movements to test my balance and reflexes. _This isn't so bad. We're almost done and nothing terrible has happened. _After a series of notes, Zexion nods. "Almost done," he starts, going over to his bag. "I'll just take some of your blood, and we'll be all finished up. Go ahead and roll up one of your sleeves."

"What? Why do you need blood?" I ask, suddenly feeling panicky. Zexion looks at me quizzically.

"Just need to make sure you don't have any diseases or imbalances," he explains. I shake my head.

"I don't have anything. You don't need to take blood," I say. I'm trying to sound calm, but I know he sees through it. His eyes narrow slightly.

"Why don't you want your blood drawn, Iris?" he asks softly, trying to sound soothing. I look around wildly as though a good excuse will be written on the walls.

"Um…uh…scared of needles?" I say, but know he's not going to buy this. Zexion looks over at Axel. Axel sighs.

"Roll up your sleeve, Iris," he orders gently. I shake my head again and he glares. "If you don't, I will come over there and do it myself," he threatens. We lock eyes, but I know staring him down is futile. I release a shaky sigh before reaching down to roll up my sleeve. Both men take sharp intakes of breath and Zexion takes my wrist and looks closer.

"How did this happen, Iris?" he asks, running a finger lightly over the old scars and the bruises that decorate my skin. I shake my head and tears are filling my eyes.

"Just take the blood, alright?" I hiss, desperate to pull my sleeve back down. I look away and feel the pinch of the needle. A few seconds later, Zexion sticks a band-aid over it and stores the vials of blood away. I quickly yank my sleeve back down, thinking it's all over.

"I'm really sorry, Iris, but I'm going to have to take a look at the rest of your body and document any other scars or marks," Zexion says quietly, and I notice that he really does sound sorry. I shake my head violently this time and stand up from the desk.

"No! You can't!" I nearly shout. Zexion's eyes widen in surprise and Axel narrows his.

"Do as he says, Iris. It's for your own good. Please don't make me make you," he warns. My eyes dart between the two men.

"Please don't," I whisper, hoping so much for a way out. Zexion sighs and shakes his head.

"Sorry, Iris, but it really is necessary. I don't want to see this anymore than you want to show it, but, in this case, we both have to do what we don't want to," he says, defeated. Slowly, I sit back down on the desk and look at the floor. Zexion puts a hand on my shoulder and I wince. "We'll take it at your pace, alright?" I nod. I wrench my eyes shut and yank up my right sleeve to the shoulder. I hold my arm out towards him. I feel his fingers gingerly tracing the marks up my arms and hear him start whispering to himself: "Horizontal laceration scars starting at wrists, stopping at mid forearm. Fingertip bruises on forearm and upper arm." He gently tugs my sleeve back down my arm and waits for me to pull up the other. "Same markings on right arm. Previously broken wrist, never set or healed correctly. Iris, what're these cuts in your palms from?" he asks. Axel clears his throat from across the room.

"We…uh…we had a rough night last night. Escape attempt. Hit the fence and tried to climb," he explains quickly. This must satisfy Zexion because he doesn't say anything else about them.

"What next, Iris?" he asks softly. I open my eyes and look at him for just a second, pleading with my eyes to let me stop. He sees this and gives me a curt shake of the head. With a shaky breath, I pull up a pant leg. He takes note of the bruises on each leg, especially the ones around my knees from being forced down so many times. After he's done with my legs, he looks at me expectantly. I pull my shirt off with a very deep breath and use it to cover my breasts. Another sharp breath issues from Zexion as he inspects my abdomen. "Old rib break, slightly emaciated, deep bruise from repeated strikes to the gut, bruises along clavicle, fingertip bruises on anterior shoulders," he whispers. He circles around me and audibly gasps. Axel makes his way around me as well to see what has shocked Zexion so much. Axel releases an identical gasp, and I wiggle uncomfortably.

"Shit," he whispers.

"Exactly," replies Zexion. I feel them staring and shift again.

"C-Can you just finish up, please?" I beg, wanting to cry. The air shifts and I feel Zexion gently trace an old wound.

"Does this one still hurt?" he asks. I decide the truth will get this over with quicker and nod. He traces another. "And this one?" I nod again. He touches a third. "And this?" A single tear falls down my cheek and I close my eyes.

"Yes," I whisper. "They all do in some way. They never heal."


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Zexion dresses a few of the fresher wounds and re-wraps my palms. He gives Axel a little jar of gel and tells him to apply it to any open wound twice a day till it heals. He turns back to me after I've pulled my shirt back on. I can't bring myself to look into his eyes.

"I'll have someone bring those glasses by tonight," he says. I nod. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with Axel alone." I look over to Axel.

"Yeah. Uh…just go do…whatever, alright?" Axel instructs. Silently, I get up and head out the door.

"It was lovely meeting you, Iris," Zexion calls quietly.

"You, too," I reply out of formality, not sincerity before shutting the door most of the way behind me. I turn to walk down the hallway, but change my mind. Instead, I flatten myself against the wall near the door and wait to hear what Zexion wants to tell Axel. It's silent for a moment before he speaks.

"Axel," he starts. He sounds absolutely exasperated. "Please help me try to understand what you could possibly have been thinking."

"What do you mean?" Axel asks.

"What do I mean? What do I mean? Axel, are you stupid? She is Iris _Weatherly_, or does that mean nothing to you?"

"I know who she is, Zex, but in case you haven't looked around lately, it doesn't really matter who she is anymore." I furrow my brow. What does he mean by that? _Isn't it obvious? You were overpowered and are now nothing more than Axel's slave. _My stomach clenches and I ball my fists up in anger.

"Even if you really believe that, she's a virgin, Axel. Are you really that sadistic?" This time, Axel sighs.

"Look, I didn't know that. We're not having sex, though, so does it really matter?" Zexion laughs.

"You're not having sex now, but how long is that _really _going to last for you, Axel?"

"I'm not going to fucking _rape _the girl, Zexion," Axel snarls.

"So you're just going to have a very pretty servant who you're not going to sleep with?" the smaller man asks, laughter still in his voice. Axel growls lowly.

"I'm hoping she'll eventually be willing." My skin goes clammy and I scoff silently. _Fat chance._

"And you'll be fine with being the one to take _that _girl's virginity given her situation? Have you no shame?"

"I don't know what's going to happen, alright? This is a weird situation for me too, in case you haven't noticed." Axel's voice has softened and he sounds as exhausted as Zexion.

"I know," he says softly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to lecture you. This is just an odd situation all the way around." They're both silent for a minute. "Why'd you buy her, Axel?"

"What?"

"You had to have known her name before you brought her home. Why'd you do it then?" Axel doesn't answer right away, and I find myself listening very intently, not wanting to miss what he says.

"I don't know, Zex. I really can't explain it. It was like, from the moment I saw her, I just had to have her. I felt like she was some kind of magnet and I couldn't bring myself to walk past her. It was like I was a moth to a flame or some other cheesy cliché." Both men laugh, but I feel my stomach clenching further. I hear what he's saying, but I don't understand him. I'm feeling extremely uncomfortable. _Time to leave. You don't want to hear this._ I nod and head down the hall.

I decide to explore a few of the closed doors along the hall. I find another bedroom, another bathroom, a locked door, a very impressive library that I know I'll have to check out later since I'm too riled up to read right now, and finally a room with a beautiful piano.

I fully enter this room and leave the door half open behind me. Like his office, the back wall is made of windows overlooking the backyard. I stand at the window and look out. There's a stone fountain in the center of the yard with immaculately tended flower beds around it. Willow trees line the perimeter of the yard, and I'm awestruck by the simple beauty of them. Despite it being November, the yard gives off the impression of it being spring.

Once I've had my fill of looking, I turn back to the room. The piano is in the center of the room. There are two overstuffed armchairs with a small oval table in front of them near the windowed wall. Next to the chairs is a row of bookshelves. Upon closer inspection, I find them to hold books of sheet music. On the opposite wall is an elaborate stereo system with more CD's than I can count on the shelf next to it.

I make my way back to the piano and sit down. I slide my fingers along the keys without pressing down on any and smile. I press down on a note softly and let its sound caress me. I close my eyes. I never knew I'd miss such simple sounds so much. When the note dies, I hesitantly bring my hands into position. I play a few opening notes to a favorite song and glance at the door. No one's there, so I feel my confidence rise a bit. I never was able to play in front of people. I start over, fully playing the opening bars. The song starts off sad and slow, but picks up soon after. I start to lose myself as the music washes over me and start playing with gusto. I smile to myself as the song reaches its crescendo. A bit later, the song ends, but I keep my fingers on the keys, relishing the moment and feeling.

A slow clap starts from the doorway. I snap my head up and see Axel leaning against the doorframe, his hands clapping together, his eyes on me. I drop my hands from the keys and look away from him, completely embarrassed.

"How long have you been standing there," I ask, a bit annoyed.

"Long enough. Come on, I have a tailor here to measure you for clothes."

* * *

"How about some dinner?" He asks after the tailor has gone. I nod vigorously, suddenly starving. We enter the dining room, and there's already a plate of sandwiches on the table with a bowl of soup in front of my and Axel's spots. There's also a large bowl of colorful cut up fruits. Before even sitting down, I pluck a strawberry out of the bowl and pop it into my mouth, enjoying the sweet, tangy taste. I sit and we start eating, a comfortable silence permeating the room.

"You play really well," Axel says a while later.

"What?" I ask, surprised by his voice in the silence.

"Piano. You play really well," he repeats.

"Oh, thank you," I say as I look up into his face.

"How long have you been playing?"

"Since I was six, so thirteen years. My mom made sure all of us played an instrument, a sport, and had some other hobby. How about you?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh, I don't play."

"Uh…why do you have a piano then?" I ask, confused. He shrugs.

"Seemed like the thing to have when I bought it. I tried to learn, but I gave up after a few tries. Just wasn't my thing. It makes for a nice room, though, doesn't it?"

"It does," I agree, thinking our conversation is done. He surprises me, though.

"You said 'all of us,'" he says, posing a question without actually asking.

"Yeah. There's me, my brother, and my sister. They're both older than me." Axel nods. Suddenly, I feel like talking about them, and I can't stop myself. "My sister plays piano, like me, but was never really good. She put her energy into sports. She got really into fighting, you know, like kickboxing and a few martial arts. She didn't pick up another hobby, but our parents didn't mind since she did all those sports."

"And your brother?" he asks. He sounds genuinely interested.

"He's the complete opposite of our sister, but he's really good at just about everything he does. He plays too many instruments to name. He picked up swimming as his sport and is awesome at it. He writes. Lyrics, poetry, stories, you name it. He enjoys sketching, but it's definitely not his main interest. He's good at it, but it's not something he's ever really focused on."

"You speak really highly of him," Axel says. I nod.

"Yeah. I'd probably say he's my favorite."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What other things do you do?"

"Oh," I say, shifting. "Well, I play piano, but you know that. I do archery. I'm alright at it, I guess. I dabbled in ice skating, but quit after falling on my butt too much for my liking," I trail off. I sound really lame, I know, so I decide to toot my own horn for a minute. "I paint, though. I paint really well. Well…I like to think I do. I've been told I do, too."

"You paint?" Axel asks, interest all over his face. I smile a little.

"Yeah. I mean, I haven't in a while obviously, but I do." A grin splits his face.

"Well look at that! We actually _do_ have something in common," he exclaims excitedly.

"You paint?" I ask, surprised. He nods enthusiastically. "Huh. I never would've guessed. Don't take this the wrong way, but you kinda struck me as the type of guy who'd be more into destruction than construction." His face falls just a bit.

"Well, you're not wrong. I actually end up burning most of my paintings because they aren't good enough." I sputter and a look of horror crosses my features.

"Surely you don't destroy all of them," I say. His grin widens at my expression.

"No, not all of them. Just the ones that don't come out how I want them to."

"Can I see one of them?" I ask, excitement suddenly bubbling in my stomach. He shrugs, still smiling.

"You already have. I did the paintings that are in my room." My eyes widen.

"You painted those? Those are incredible!" I gush. His grin looks in danger of splitting his face apart, and a very slight pink color rises to his cheeks.

"They're not _that _good, but thanks," he says, trying and failing to sound modest.

"Do you have a studio here in the house? Can I see it? Can I _use _it?" I ask, radiating excitement. He stands up eagerly.

"Of course. Come on," he says while crossing to the door. I bound out of my seat and scurry after him. He stops in front of the other locked door from earlier, pulls out a key, and unlocks it. He opens the door with a flourish, stepping to the side to let me enter first.

I step in and smile widely. The walls are all white and covered in finished and half-finished paintings. The floor is wooden and littered with paint splatters and the occasional burn mark. There are piles of blank canvas around the room and counters covered in tubes of paint and brushes. It's messy and disorderly and absolutely perfect. I turn around quickly to face Axel. He's leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed. He smiles at my expression.

"Do you have a hair tie?" I ask, fire in my eyes.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Hello!

Not to be a nudge, but it would be slamming if you went and also read/reviewed my newly posted one-shot, _You Know I Do._

It would also be awesome if you took a moment to review _this_ story. Prologue and twelve chapters up and I have no reviews. It's making me wonder if I should just cut my losses and scrap this story. :/

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Chapter Twelve

Axel leaves the room to find a hair tie for me. While he's gone, I set up an easel with a blank canvas, grab a palette, squeeze a bunch of different paints onto it, and start selecting brushes. I have three different brushes in my hand when Axel comes back in. He has a hair tie, but he's also carrying a small rectangular box.

"One of Zexion's assistants just dropped this off. I'm guessing it'll be your glasses," he says, holding the box out toward me.

"Perfect timing!" I say, feeling a bit of warmth for Zexion flutter through me. I take the hair tie and box, open it, and pull the glasses out. The frames are semi-thick and rectangular. I slide them on and everything is suddenly sharper. "Oh, wow. Is this how people see all the time?"

"I'm assuming," Axel laughs. "They look good on you. Zexion has good taste. I've always thought he was a bit metrosexual myself." I chuckle. I gather my hair up in a messy bun and stick the brushes I'm holding in it.

"Zexion seems like a nice enough guy. He's a bit young to be a doctor, though, isn't he?" I ask as I sit down in front of the canvas. Axel grabs another stool and sits down a few feet behind me.

"He is. You don't mind if I watch, do you?" he asks. I shake my head to show I don't. "Sweet. But yeah, he is. He's basically a genius, though. Finished up his degree when he was twenty." I whistle lowly as I dip a brush in deep blue paint.

"That's impressive. How'd you guys meet?" I ask while gently stroking the paint onto the canvas.

"When he finished up his degree, he took over the office here in town when old Doc Hart retired. Not even a week after he took over, I got some pretty nasty burns on my hands and didn't have much of a choice but to go in. I actually insulted him when he came in to check me out because I thought he was just some kid messing with me. I made him show me his license and ID before I would believe him. I felt pretty damn stupid at that point, but he took it pretty well. Told me I wasn't the first to do so. I apologized and offered to take him out for a drink to make up for it. Ever since then, we've been pretty good friends," he explained. I nod, currently having a brush between my teeth and another in my hand. I continue painting in silence for a few minutes, gracefully adding purples and just a bit of pink to the midnight blue. Slowly, I feel myself falling into a rhythm and into a trance. "Can I ask you something?" Axel asks suddenly.

"Sure," I whisper, barely hearing him.

"Who put all those marks on you?" My mind is still focused on my painting, so the question doesn't register as much apprehension as it usually would.

"Who didn't?" I say, avoiding the question just slightly.

"I don't understand. I thought I was the first person to buy you," he says, the confusion in his voice almost palpable.

"You are," I reply. After a few moments of silence, I sigh, knowing he's still waiting. I don't look at him, instead continuing painting in hopes it'll help me tell him what he wants to know. "You only see a part of the slave trade. The part you see is probably the prettiest side of it. You see the servants, the masters, and the shopkeeps. You don't see the people who takes us from our homes or the people who beat us into submission."

"How does it all work?" he asks, but I hear the hesitance in his voice. He doesn't _really _want to know the answer to that question. Maybe it's for this exact reason I choose to tell him.

"It depends on who the prospective servant it, what type of person they are. It starts with the servant being stalked and kidnapped. That's the part that's the same for everyone," I start as I make a broad stroke of white on the canvas. "That's when we're taken to the main behaviorist for whatever region we're from. They decide who's ready to go straight to market and who isn't. The ones who are submissive and willing to comply from the beginning go straight to market. The ones with too much spirit or the ones who try to fight back don't."

"I'm assuming you were in the latter group," Axel mumbles. I nod.

"Yeah, I was. People like me stay with the behaviorists. We don't call them that, though. We refer to them as 'breakers.' Anyway, it's their job to beat us into submission any way possible. Take the will to fight away from us. They get paid good money to do it, but most of them also seem to thoroughly enjoy it. Once they deem us significantly broken, they send us to market where our main breaker makes a deal with a shopkeep to buy us. Most people are only there for two or so weeks. I was with the breakers for three months before they decided to just get rid of me, despite the fact I wasn't _ready. _Once in the market, the shopkeeps re-sell us in hopes of doubling the money they spent on us. If we starting acting out, the shopkeeps will call in a breaker or two to come _fix_ the situation. That's why I'm so marked up. There was a breaker in our shop just about every other night," I finish.

"Those scars on your forearms, though…those look so…deliberate…" I bristle slightly.

"Like I said, they try to break you by any means possible. If that means breaking the flesh on your back open with a whip, they'll do it. If that means breaking a few ribs, they don't mind. If that means putting a razor blade into your hand and making you put the scars there yourself, they're more than happy to do so," I explain, venom dripping from my voice. Axel goes silent, and I think the discussion is over.

"Will you tell me about the night you were kidnapped?" Axel suddenly spits out. My hand stops its actions and my eyes widen just a little. My breathing starts becoming labored at the thought.

"I-I'd really prefer not to, if you don't mind," I whisper, silently begging him to let it drop. Luckily for me, he does.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine," I whisper again. When a sufficient silence engulfs us again, I'm able to continue my work. After a while, I pause. The top half of the canvas is full, but the bottom is blank. I wait for inspiration.

"How do you decide what to paint?" Axel asks softly as I stare at the blank space.

"What do you mean?" I murmur.

"I mean, you just sat down and started painting. It's like you didn't even think about it. You just started. How do you do that?" I shrug delicately.

"I just do. To me, painting is about feeling, not thinking. I just let my mind go blank and let my brush hand do the thinking. I rarely know what I'm doing until I'm finished," I mumble as I focus on smaller details.

"Huh," Axel says, baffled by my answer. "I can't do that. I always go in with a very specific picture in my head. I can almost never get it exactly as I imagine, though."

"Is that why you destroy so many of them?" I ask.

"Yeah. I just get mad that they don't turn out right," he says softly.

"Why do you burn them, though? Wouldn't just throwing them out be less dangerous?" I ask as I lean back to inspect my work so far.

"Yeah, but there's just something so beautiful about burning them. Watching the flames dance over the colored canvas is just so mesmerizing. So enchanting," he explains, a wispy sound in his voice. I stop and turn around just enough to look at him. His eyes are glazed over and he looks as though his mind is very far away. Suddenly, his eyes turn up to mine and I feel lost. After keeping our gazes locked for so long, Axel clears his throat and looks away. "I'd probably be a better painter if I painted like you do," he says to break the silence. I look at my canvas before looking back to him.

"Come here," I say. He looks back up at me.

"What?" he asks.

"Come here," I repeat. He gets up and starts toward me; I turn back to the canvas. When he's next to me, I hand him my palette. "Here," I say while getting off my stool. He takes the palette and sits down hesitantly. "Just let your mind go blank. Don't think about what you're doing and just do it."

"But this is your painting. I can't just paint on your painting," he says, looking up at me. I smile.

"Sure you can. If we like it, we'll just both sign at the bottom."

"But what if I screw it up?" I shrug.

"I don't even know what it is yet. I don't even know if I like it yet or will in the end, so you can't exactly mess it up, now can you?"

"I guess not. I don't know what to do, though." He looks back at the canvas. I can see his mind working, trying to logically figure out what to do. I start to panic since I want him to just do what he feels. Quickly, without thinking, I throw my hands over his eyes.

"No, no, no. No thinking! Just dip the brush in a color and do what you feel," I say quickly. His skin is warm under my hands and I feel his face turn up in a smile under my hands.

"And you expect me to do that with my eyes closed?" he says, obviously amused.

"I had to stop your brain some way. I'll move my hands when you promise me not to think about what you're doing. Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah. I promise," he says. I slowly remove my hands from his face. I take a few steps back to drag the stool he had been sitting in forward. I sit next to him.

"Alright. Go," I say. He looks at me and reaches a hand towards my face. My eyes widen. "Wh-What are you doing?" I stutter, but his hand goes past my face.

"Relax. I obviously need a brush," he says, a small smile playing on his lips. I feel a brush slide out of my hair and he holds it up as if to prove a point.

"Oh," I say, looking away. He chuckles and turns back to the canvas. Once he's not looking at me, I look back at him and the canvas. He dips the brush in a vibrant red before touching it to the canvas. He paints with long, broad, fluid strokes and I'm captivated. He continues on with rich oranges and yellows. His face goes smooth and his eyes look glassy. I wonder if I look as good as he does when I paint.

It's when he starts with a rose pink that my eyes widen and see what needs to be done. I jump up and hurry to grab another palette. I squirt bright yellow, gray, black, pale blue and white onto it and grab a paint sponge. I sit back down and his trance is broken as I dip a brush into the pale blue.

"What're you doing?" he asks, stopping his strokes.

"Just keep going," I whisper, touching the pale blue at the base of his work. He hesitates before continuing. I take the sponge and gently smear together the borders of our progress. I dab the sponge to lightly smudge random spots in each of our parts before setting the sponge aside. I fill the very bottom of the canvas, the only space left blank, with little gray and black squares and rectangles with spots of yellow and white. When done there, I take the white and yellow and dab little spots into the very top portion of the canvas.

I sit back and wait for Axel to finish his final details. When he finally sits back with me, I take the time to really observe the now completed painting. Together we ended up painting the evening sky above a grungy little city. My original section is made up of deep purples and blues, littered with stars, and his transitions into the last parts of a sunset. The colors are all so deep and blend together perfectly. I'm completely awestruck.

"Wow," I finally say. It's the only word that sums up my thoughts.

"Yeah," Axel says just as quietly next to me. I glance over to him and his face is absolutely bewildered.

"How did that feel?" I ask. He nods approvingly, still staring at the canvas.

"Good."

"Just good?" He smiles.

"Great." I smile too and turn back to the painting.

"Here," I say, pulling a signature pen from my hair. He takes it and signs in the bottom left corner. He hands it back to me and I do the same in the bottom right corner. "What should we title it?" I ask, hovering the pen between our names.

"I don't know. You pick," he says, still staring at our work. I smile again and pause. Finally, I put the pen back to the canvas and write the title.

_Worlds Colliding_


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Two weeks after we painted together, I'm sitting in my room staring out the window over my bed. It's mid-December and snowing. Axel started turning the heat up when December started, the thermostat now at a ridiculous temperature, but watching the snow fall makes me feel cold. _It's not just the snow making you feel that way. _I shiver and try to push the thought out of my head, but it doesn't work. I sigh, knowing my thoughts are about to become obsessive.

Nothing about the past two weeks can be classified as bad. Axel hasn't done anything to hurt me, and the fear I originally felt has more or less dissipated. Unfortunately, other feelings have taken over. The primary two? Confusion and apprehension.

After only two weeks, it goes without saying I'm still not incredibly comfortable around Axel. Quite frankly, I avoid him as much as I can. I mostly see him at meals or when he asks me to do something for him. He seems alright with it, though, which adds to my confusion. Kelvin and the breakers beat it into my head, literally, that any master I would get would hurt me. If they didn't, just wait; the other shoe will drop eventually. That's what I'm waiting for.

He's shown no signs or inclinations of wanting to hurt me, though, which is what I find most puzzling. Every encounter we've had, he's been perfectly affable, but I still can't help but remain a little reserved and skeptical. He's gotten testy and annoyed with me a few times, but he still hasn't raised a hand to me. Part of me is thankful for that. Another part of me wishes he'd just get the inevitable over with. Why prolong everything by lulling me into a false sense of security? It seems cruel.

There's another part of me that believes he's not trying to trick me. That part of me thinks he's being sincere and is really just a nice guy. That part of me likes him and wants to get closer to him. More times than not, I simply smash that part down, but it's getting harder. The more times he doesn't scare or harm me, the more this part of me comes out. This new side of me is trying to take over, and it worries me. What worries me more is that I'm considering letting it.

I growl irritably before launching myself off the bed. I change into a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt I've dedicated to painting and head downstairs into the studio. Axel isn't in here. I actually haven't seen him since breakfast. _Who cares? Stop thinking about him for two minutes, will you? _I smile a little bit, grab a palette and some paint, and sit down at a painting I've been working on for a couple of days. So far, it consists mostly of whites and blues and I have the firm impression the snow has been influencing it.

I don't know how much time passes before Axel's voice comes over the static-y intercom in the room.

"Iris, are you in there?" he asks. He sounds irritable and tired.

"Yeah," I say, not taking my eyes from the canvas.

"I need you to bring a cup of coffee to my office."

"The usual?" I ask as I wipe my hands on my jeans to get the excess paint off.

"Double the sugar," he sighs. I raise my eyebrows slightly.

"Alright. Be right there." I leave the room and pad into the kitchen. After hooking up the coffee pot, I pop a mug of milk into the microwave to heat up. I glance over at the clock. 11:40 p.m. _Wow. When did it get so late?_ Once the milk is hot enough, I pour in powdered cocoa, mix, and drop in two peppermints. Moments after I'm done with that, the coffee is ready. I pour it into Axel's usual mug, add a splash of milk and his doubled sugar. I take both mugs and walk back down the hall to his office. I bump the door open with my hip and enter.

"Don't you knock?" he growls lightly. He's hunched over the mess of papers littering his desk, his head in his hands and his eyes staring down unblinkingly. I roll my eyes.

"I would've, but I'm currently carrying two mugs," I say. I walk over to his desk and sit his mug down in front of him. I stand for a minute contemplating whether or not I should leave before the new part of me takes over.

"May I sit?" I ask.

"Feel free," he mumbles irritably. I gingerly sit in a chair on the opposite side of his desk and take a sip of my hot cocoa. Without looking up, Axel reaches forward and grabs his coffee. Once he takes a drink, his face relaxes and he sits back. He stretches his neck side to side and rolls his shoulders, groaning.

"Thanks," Axel says while inclining his mug to me. His voice is calm again. I shrug.

"No problem." He looks at me finally and smiles slightly.

"What're you drinking?"

"Hot chocolate. I don't like coffee," I explain. "So, what're you doing up so late?"

"Me?" he asks with a small chuckle. "What about you?" I stare at him for just a second before taking an exaggerated look down at my clothes and my paint covered hands.

"I was finding a cure for cancer," I say extremely sarcastically. I snap my mouth shut quickly and eye him warily. _He's already irritated at whatever he's doing, you idiot! Don't provoke him with your stupid sarcasm!_

He doesn't look angry, though. He actually looks slightly amused, a light smile playing on his lips.

"I don't think I've heard your sharp tongue since your first day here. I was beginning to think it had disappeared forever," he says and his smile widens. I blush and look down. He laughs lightly. "Hey, it's not a bad thing, kid. I sort of missed it." I look back up at him hesitantly.

"Really? I thought it annoyed you." He shrugs.

"Well, sure it does occasionally. On the whole, though, I find it…refreshing."

"Oh," I say, feeling slightly awkward. I want to change the subject. "So, uh, what are you doing?" His face darkens slightly and he looks drained.

"Working," he sighs, running a hand down his face.

"What do you do?" I ask, suddenly intrigued.

"Eh, nothing worth listening to," he replies with a wave of his hand. I press on.

"No, I'm really interested. It must be something important with how big of place you have."

"I work in investments. My father left me his company when he died along with a hefty inheritance." He sounds grateful, but not exactly happy. "It's a lot of boring, tedious work, especially around the holidays."

"Do you like it?" He stares at me for a minute as though pondering my question. Finally, he purses his lips and shakes his head.

"Not really, no," he says.

"Then why didn't you just sell the company? That's a thing, right? People sell their companies all the time, don't they?" I feel stupid, but I don't really know much about owning a company.

"Yeah, they do. I heavily considered it for a while after my old man died, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. He loved the company, and I feel like it's the only thing left of him. Besides, he always expected me to take it over anyway." I nod.

"I know that feeling," I mumble. He looks at me, and I know he understands. Thankfully, he doesn't say anything else. I clear my throat. "So, um, it's almost Christmas," I say before trailing off. He sits back in his chair all the way and crosses his arms.

"Yeah…?" he prompts. I twiddle my thumbs.

"I…uh…I was just wondering if you were going to put up a tree or anything," I continue, trying not to sound too hopeful. His eyebrows shoot up.

"I can't remember the last time I put up a Christmas tree," he says. My heart sinks slightly.

"Oh…okay. I was just curious…" I say sadly. He continues staring at me and bites down on his lower lip.

"Do you…Do you _want _a Christmas tree?" he asks, sounding awkward.

"Oh, I…uh…well, if it's an _inconvenience_…I just…didn't get to have an actual Christmas last year, so I guess I was just…h-hoping…you know…" I stutter out lamely. He thinks for a minute before his eyes set with a resolution.

"Alright. We'll go find one tomorrow," he announces. My eyes light up.

"Really? Are you serious? You're not kidding, are you?" I ask quickly, excitement flooding through me.

"Nope, not kidding. We'll get some lunch and go find a suitable tree."

"We'll have to get ornaments and lights and everything too," I reply brightly, images of the shiny bulbs dancing in my head. Axel looks entertained by my tone and excitement, but I can see the hesitation in his eyes. "Don't worry, it'll be so much fun," I say before getting up to head out of the room.

"Where are you going?" he asks lightly. I turn around to look at him.

"To bed, of course. Sooner I fall asleep, sooner it'll be tomorrow," I explain, bouncing on the balls of my feet. He chuckles.

"I didn't know that's how it works, but alright. Night, kid," he says, turning his attention back to his work. Before shutting the door behind me, I glance at him.

"Axel?" I say softly.

"Mhm?" he mumbles without looking at me.

"You should get some rest, too. I might be wrong, but I think those papers will still be there tomorrow," I reply, a soft undercurrent of concern in my voice. He looks up at me and his expression seems slightly surprised.

"A-Alright," he stutters with a small nod. I smile at him before shutting the door.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

I actually googled types of trees used as Christmas trees for one single sentence in this chapter. o.O

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Chapter Fourteen

Axel's Point-of-View

I groan as I open my eyes and glace at the clock blinking at me from the nightstand. 6:55 a.m. I groan again, loudly this time and run a hand down my face. Why the hell am I awake so early? I close my eyes to fall back asleep when the very loud chords of some Christmas song reach my ears. My eyes pop back open. _Well, that would explain it. _I pull my pillow over my head and try to block it out, but she's really banging on those keys. I growl, frustrated, after failing for another few minutes before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and standing. I stretch and head for the door. The music is even louder in the hallway. Down in the foyer, Renton passes by me and smiles.

"Good morning, sir," he says, much too chipper. I glare slightly at him, but he smiles brighter before walking off. _He's enjoying this way too much... _I pad down the second hall to the piano room and push the cracked door open. As though on cue, Iris looks up from the piano and grins widely. She finishes out the song before speaking.

"Good morning! I didn't wake you, did I?" she asks sweetly. She knows she did; it's written all over her face. Even though I'm tired and pissed off, I can't help the small smile that fights its way onto my lips. I squash it back down immediately.

"As a matter of fact, you _did,_" I respond, walking over to the piano and leaning against it. I cross my arms and look at her with a blank expression. "Now why on earth did you think that would be a good idea?" Her grin falls just slightly.

"Y-You're not mad, are you?" she asks cautiously. I can't fight the smile back down this time. Almost immediately, her grin perks back up to full wattage. "Not mad," she says to herself.

"No, not mad," I reply. "Maybe a little frustrated at being woken up at seven in the morning by obnoxious seasonal tunes for no apparent reason, though."

"We're getting a tree today. You said so last night, remember?" she asks as she quietly plays the first few bars to 'Oh, Christmas Tree.' I run my hand through my hair.

"Yeah, I remember, but if I had known I'd get waken up this early, I would've said no. I figured we go later in the afternoon."

"But the early morning is the best time to go! Everything looks perfect and pristine this early since no one else has trudged through the fresh snow at the lot," she explains as though this is the most obvious thing in the world.

"There's probably a reason for that," I mutter, rolling my eyes at the ceiling.

"Well, you're already up, so why wait now?" she asks while grinning up at me, and I know the question is rhetorical. I stare down at her expression impassively. _God, it'd be fun to wipe that grin off her face. _I almost smile at the thought, but manage not to. Smiling would ruin it.

Deciding to have a little fun, I slowly reach out a hand to Iris's face. Her grin flickers, but remains overall intact. I cup her chin in my hand and lean my face down to hers. I'm a few inches away from her face when I stop, not breaking eye contact. Her grin slowly falls to a look of slight apprehension but mostly curiosity. _At least it's not fear. _A light pink creeps onto her face and I'm wondering what she's thinking. I keep her gaze with mine when I see the pulse her neck quicken slightly. Her lips part just a little bit and her breath comes out shaky across my face.

"Wh-What are you doing?" she whispers, and the words caress my face.

"Apparently nothing you're not responding to," I whisper back with a smirk. Keeping the smirk so she knows I'm just being playful, I continue, "We'll go get your silly tree, but I'm warning you now: if I get woken up again by obnoxiously loud Christmas music ever again, I will burn the damn Fern down. Got it memorized?" I smile brightly at her, thinking I've won this little battle.

"I don't know when people started using Ferns as Christmas trees, but I prefer the Fraser Fir myself," she says softly. My smile falls, causing another grin to play at her lips. I release her face and turn.

"You win," I sigh exasperatedly. "I'll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes." I'm at the bottom of the staircase when the Christmas music picks back up. I can't help but smile.

I walk into the foyer fifteen minutes later, but I don't see Iris.

"Ready to go?" comes an excited voice from the living room. I look over, surprised, and see Iris's violet eyes peeking at me over the edge of the couch. She has a gray knit cap pulled over her head.

"I just need to grab my coat," I say with a sigh. Before I can walk over to the closet, though, she's already on her feet and talking.

"No, you don't. I already got it out for you along with your gloves, some ear warmers, and a scarf." She scurries over to me, hands me my coat, pops the ear warmers over my ears, and wraps the scarf around my neck. As I'm pulling on my coat, she holds out a to-go cup of coffee and a croissant. "And I've already made your coffee and grabbed a croissant for you to eat on the way." I take the cup and pastry from her, shocked.

"Uh…well…thank you," I say. She beams at me.

"Now are you ready to go?" she asks. I nod slowly.

"Yeah, let me just get Renton and we'll-"

"Renton's already waiting and has the car heated up," she interrupts. I eye her, bewildered.

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?" She nods vigorously. "Jeez, maybe I should always get you this amped up about something; a guy could get used to this kind of service." She winces slightly at my words, and I mentally kick myself. Her excitement wins over, though, and she seems to let my little faux pas go.

"Well," she says with a clap of her hands. "Let's get going!" She starts towards the door and I'm resigned to follow. Outside, I shiver and pull my coat tighter.

"Shit, I hate the cold," I mumble irritably.

"Really? I hadn't gathered that from the inferno you call a house," she says from a few feet in front of me. I have a distinct impression she's rolling her eyes at me. I grumble unintelligibly.

In the car, I finally take the time to look Iris over.

"You look nice today," I say, and I mean it. She's put on a healthy amount of weight since being with me, and it truly flatters her. She's wears a pair of dark, flare jeans that hug her thighs nicely. Her gray, wool peacoat matches her hat perfectly and accentuates her slight curves. A deep red scarf is wrapped around her neck; it really makes her eyes pop. She has on a pair of matching mittens. Her shiny, pale hair is straight today and flows down to her waist. She turns her eyes towards me and smiles softly.

"Thanks," she says before looking back out the window at the passing countryside.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" I ask. I'm immediately shocked at myself. I hadn't meant to say that; it just sort of came out. She turns to look at me again. Her face is surprised this time, and she sputters slightly before regaining herself. Suddenly, she grins.

"Well, it would be conceited of me to say yes, wouldn't it be?" she asks. I shake my head, a grin tugging up my lips as well.

"Not at all. It would just mean you're confident."

"Then yes, I am aware that I'm pretty. Two weeks ago, I didn't really think so, but I look much better now."

"Good. I can't stand when a girl can't admit she's pretty," I say. She groans.

"I _know! _I find it really irritating. It's so obvious they know they're attractive, but they're trying to appear modest; it just comes off so fake," she says. I nod.

"Yeah. That'd be like someone telling me that I'm hot and me saying, _oh no, not me. I'm just okay looking. _I know I'm freakishly attractive, and I'm gonna own up to it," I say extremely seriously. Iris laughs loudly, causing me to grin widely.

"You're ridiculous," she says while laughing. She tries to take in a deep breath to calm down, but snorts instead. I start laughing, and she erupts into another fit of giggles. We're still laughing when Renton announces we've arrived at the tree lot.

"Alright, alright," I start while taking deep, shuddering breaths. She's doing the same, occasionally allowing another little burst of giggles to come through. "Come on. We've gotta get your stupid tree."

"You're a stupid tree," she says with another laugh.

"Well I'm a gorgeous, stupid tree then," I retort and we dissolve into laughter again. It's not even that funny, but her laughter is contagious.

An eternity later, we manage to calm down and get out of the car. I hate to admit it, but Iris is right about the lot looking pristine this early. There are only a few pairs of footprints in the snow, but besides that, it's perfect. Iris's eyes light up and she takes a step forward before looking over at me tentatively. I nod and wave a hand for her to go ahead. She smiles widely before hurrying forward towards the mass of tree. She turns and stops when she sees I'm not with her.

"Aren't you coming?" she calls out loudly. I shake my head, smiling.

"Nah. You go pick whatever one you want out. I wouldn't know what the hell I'm doing anyway," I shout back. She shrugs.

"Suit yourself," she yells before continuing on. I lean against the side of the car and wait.

"Interesting girl, isn't she, sir?" Renton says. I jump and turn around wildly, forgetting he was there. He has his arms folded on the roof of the car and is resting his head on them. He smiles at me, obviously realizing he startled me.

"Sorry, Renton. I didn't hear you get out of the car," I explain, feeling sheepish.

"Well someone is going to need to help you cut down and lug the tree back, sir," he says.

"Cut it down…? Shit, I didn't even think about that! I didn't grab an ax or anything," I say, a slight edge of panic in my voice. Renton smiles again.

"Already taken care of, sir. It's in the trunk." I sigh.

"Thank you, Renton. What would I do without you?"

"Probably die, sir," he says matter-of-factly. I grin widely, knowing he's probably right. A few moments later, he speaks again. "Excuse me for overstepping, sir, but I've noticed you're not exactly treating this girl like the rest of them." I frown slightly.

"There's something different about her, Renton. I don't know what it is, but it's something…something…" I trail off.

"Special, sir?" he suggests. I nod.

"Yeah, special."

"Then I wish you luck, sir, but I feel inclined to remind that her circumstances are very…interesting, and I fear you can't hide the facts from her forever." My frown deepens.

"Now you're overstepping, Renton," I say quietly.

"Of course, sir. My apologies," he says immediately.

"Don't worry about it."

We wait in silence a while longer before an excited shriek sounds from the lot. Moments later, Iris comes bounding out of the trees at full tilt and skids to a stop in front of me. Her face is pink from the cold and her eyes are alight with glee. Her breath is coming out in small pants, the cold air showing it.

"I've found it. It's perfect. Come on," she says quickly, almost too quickly to understand. She grabs my hand and starts pulling me as fast as possible through the lot. I let her drag me through all the trees, and I hear Renton following a few feet behind us. Finally, she stops in front of a tree that, in my opinion, looks just like the rest of them. I know better than to say that, though. Iris is staring up at it like it's the greatest thing in the world, and I notice she hasn't let go of my hand. I relish the warmth of her hand in mine. "This one. This is perfect." I don't think she realizes it, but she squeezes my hand slightly. I smile down at her.

"Yeah. It is."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Axel doesn't help me decorate the Christmas tree, but I'm not particularly bothered by it. I've noticed he seems very uncomfortable with the idea of really celebrating the holiday, but I decide against asking him about it. I'm too thankful that he's actually letting me put up a tree despite his discomfort, and I don't want to ruin it or put him off any more than he already is.

Once it's all done, Axel hooks up the lights for me since I can't figure it out, flips a switch, and the tree lights up. I step back to admire the tree. It's tall and luscious and the perfect shade of green. I adorned it with white lights, ornaments of every size, shape and color, and finished it off with thousands of strings of rainbow tinsel. I had Axel top it with a golden star since I couldn't reach. I grin up at the tree and nod my approval.

"Looks good," Axel says from the couch. He's laying across the couch with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed languidly. I turn my grin to him.

"Thanks. Decorating the tree was always my favorite thing to do as a kid," I say.

"You do it pretty well," he replies. I go and sit on the smaller couch next to the couch Axel is on. I tuck my legs under me and lean on the armrest, not taking my eyes from the lit up tree.

"This will be the second Christmas I haven't spent with my family," I say softly, not really expecting a response.

"Really?" Axel asks, not looking at me.

"Yeah. I got taken last October, so I missed that Christmas… I just wish I knew what happened. I wish I knew whether or not my family is okay…" I say, my voice getting softer. There's a beat of silence before Axel replies.

"Wish I could tell you, kid." His voice is soft like mine, but I don't think anything about it. We continue admiring the tree in silence.

About half an hour later, I get up to get a snack from the kitchen.

"Hey, I'm gonna get something to eat. You want anything?" I ask. Axel doesn't respond, so I take a step closer to him. His eyes are closed and his mouth is open just slightly. He's breathing evenly, and I know he's asleep. _Well, you did make him get up awfully early after he was up so late. Let him sleep. _I'm about to continue walking when I stop myself. I continue staring at his sleeping face. _Would he really do all this nice stuff for me if he was just going to suddenly change his act? All of his gestures have seemed so sincere: letting me use his studio, giving me free range of his home, complimenting me, letting me get a Christmas tree. I don't think someone would do that much if they were just going to suddenly become cruel and abusive._

He pulls me from my thoughts when he suddenly stirs and rolls onto his side. Some of his hair from where he didn't spike it properly falls over his face. Without thinking, I reach forward and gently brush it back, amazed by how soft it is. He smiles in his sleep. I smile just because he smiles.

* * *

"Oh, hello, Renton," I say when I walk into the kitchen. Renton is standing at a counter cutting up vegetables. He smiles at me.

"Hello, miss. Can I do anything for you?" he asks.

"Please, call me Iris. And no, I don't need anything. I just came in to get a snack," I say.

"I can whip something up for you real quick if there's something specific you'd like," he says, going to put down the knife.

"No, no. I don't mind doing it. You're busy anyway," I say with a smile before heading over to the pantry and grabbing a bag of chips. I put the bag on the counter a little ways away from Renton and pop a chip into my mouth. "So what're you making?" I ask as he dumps a handful of minced onions into a pot on the stove.

"Dinner. We'll be having chili," he says. "Axel prefers hot, hearty things in the winter.

"Why are you making dinner so early, though?" I ask with a glance at the clock. Noon.

"I like to slow cook chili and let it simper for a few hours. Makes the flavor richer." I nod before asking my next question.

"How long have you worked for Axel?"

"I started working for him after his father passed on four years ago. I worked for his father for twenty years before that," he answers. My eyebrows shoot up.

"So you've known Axel-"

"His whole life, yes. His parents hired me because he was born. His father was always busy with the company, so his mother needed the extra help."

"Axel hasn't mentioned his mother before. Is she still alive?" I ask as I crunch down on another chip. Renton shakes his head.

"She not. She passed away the Christmas Eve after Axel turned ten." I drop the chip I'm holding back onto the counter, my eyes wide.

"Is that why he hasn't celebrated Christmas in so long?" I inquire, realization dawning on my face. Renton nods.

"Yes, it is. At the news of her death, Axel's father lost it and broke everything Christmas related before burning down the Christmas tree. The holiday sort of became taboo after that."

"Oh, my gosh," I whisper. "Why on earth would he let me make such a fuss out of the holiday if it just makes him sad? If I had had any idea…"

"He wanted to make you happy. He understands your situation is strange for you, so he wanted to give you some sense of normalcy, even if it was just for a little while," he explains.

"Oh…that's so…nice of him…"

"He's a sincere man, Iris. I can imagine what you've been thinking. You're waiting for him to pull the rug out from under you, right?" I nod. "He's not going to. He's not a bad guy, Iris."

"Then why has he gone through so many girls?" I ask, an edge of bitterness I can't explain in my voice. He shrugs.

"The first girl happened when the…industry was new. She panicked. The second girl was actually quite fond of him, but he let her go after realizing how incredibly ditzy she was; he absolutely can't stand stupid people. The third girl tried to attack him with a blow dryer, destroyed multiple things in the house, tried to attack him with a knife, and then tried to kill him in his sleep. The strange thing was that he hadn't even laid a hand on her before she tried anything. Needless to say, he let her go as well. The last girl ran off after he had given her a sufficient amount of new clothing. He's just had a string of mentally instable girls."

"But has he ever hit any of them? Or…had _sex _with any of them?"

"Never had the chance with the first. He never hit girl number two, but he did lay hands on the third and fourth at some point. And yes, he did have sex with girls two and four, but not unless they were willing. He's not a rapist," he says evenly. I swallow and look down.

"Why'd he hit number four? I understand the reasoning behind three, but why four?"

"She tried running off three times before she succeeded. Axel let the first time go like he did with yours, but didn't do the same with the third and fourth attempts. He gave you a fair warning about that, though, if I recall properly." My eyes snap up, surprised that Renton had heard that.

"Do you hear everything that happens around here?" I ask, slightly impressed. I see him smile a little.

"More or less, yes." I smile. A silence engulfs us for a little bit before I put the chips away.

"Well, I'm going to go read a book or something. I'll see you later. It was good talking to you, Renton," I say with a smile.

"You as well. I'll see you at dinner," he says, returning the smile. I have my hand on the door when he speaks up again. "Iris?" I turn at look at him and find him staring at me resolutely.

"Yes?" I ask.

"If you give him an honest chance, I think you'll find that you actually like him." I smile softly at him.

"You know what? You might be right," I say back. I turn back to the door.

"But are you going to actually try to find out?" he asks softly. I don't look at him this time.

"We'll just have to see, I suppose."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Axel asks me as he walks into the library. I've been in here since my talk with Renton about an hour ago. I needed to get my mind off the information he divulged, so I threw myself into a book. Now, I look up from said book over to Axel. There's still sleep in his eyes, and his hair is droopy and rumpled.

"I'm laying on a couch in the library with a book in my hands. Most people would think I'm reading, but I guess I could be doing something else," I reply evenly. He smirks and yawns.

"I just woke up. My brain isn't working," he says while walking over to the couch. I scoot into a sitting position and pull my legs up to my chest to give him room. He sits down and throws an arm across the back of the couch lazily. For a moment, I'm amazed by how comfortable he is in his body. He seems so _one _with himself; it's almost graceful. I'm a little jealous. I've always been awkward and uncomfortable in my skin. I never know what to do with my hands or other extremities. He smirks at me, and I know he's noticed my staring. I snap back to my senses, and bring my book back up to my face.

"Does your brain ever work?" I ask sassily, smirking. His smirk evolves into a smile.

"Nah, not really. I just have to flatter myself sometimes." I let out a little snort of laughter from behind my book. "What're you reading anyway?" he asks.

"It's just a book of assorted poetry. You really don't have anything creative in here. You have so much non-fiction, but not much else. It's a little irritating."

"I guess I'll have to fix that, huh?" he asks. I shrug, feeling a bit out of place.

"Up to you. It's your library," I mumble. I get through a few more pages in silence, but my legs start feeling cramped and achy. I glace up at Axel; he's staring unblinkingly out the window in front of the couch; he seems lost in thought. I stretch my legs back out just slightly, but now they're at an even more awkward angle. I extend them a little farther, and it feels just slightly better, but not good enough. _Oh, fuck it. _I stretch my legs out so the soles of my feet are propped against Axel's thigh and quickly bury my face back in my book. He doesn't say anything, so I risk a glace. He's still looking out the window, but there's a small smile on his face. I look back to my book with a tiny grin of my own.

* * *

I'm working on my snow inspired painting a couple of hours later, but something feels wrong about it. I can't bring myself to continue it, so I set it aside and set up a new canvas. I'm drawn to use bright, vibrant colors. I fall into a trance and follow my instincts. About an hour later, I sit back and examine what I've done so far. I cock my head to the side and frown slightly. It's abstract and very different than what I usually do. It still needs texture, and I'm contemplating what type of medium to use when a thought pops into my head. _You're painting this as a Christmas present for Axel, aren't you? _My frown deepens. Am I? It certainly copies his style and seems like something he'd like…

Before I can focus any more time on this thought, Axel walks in.

"Renton just finished dinner up. We're having-"

"-Chili, yeah I know. I asked him earlier while you were napping," I say, getting up from my stool. I wipe my hands on my already paint splattered jeans and go to rinse off my palette. Axel starts walking towards my easel.

"What're you working on?" he asks, and I throw the palette down in the sink and scamper around the easel.

"No, no, no, you can't see it," I say quickly. I turn him around forcefully and put my hands on his back to push him towards the door. I know I'm probably getting paint on his shirt, but I don't care at this point. If I'm going to give him this painting for Christmas, I can't have him ruining the surprise.

"Woah, what's the big secret, kid?" he asks while laughing. He's letting me push him to the door, and I'm incredibly glad he's not fighting me.

"You just can't see it yet! Renton worked hard on dinner. No need to keep him waiting. You go ahead, and I'm just going to clean up in here a little. Go," I order, shutting the door rather hard behind him. I hear his laughter ring in the hallway as he walks away. I lean against the door to release the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. _Phew. That was close. _I rinse out my palette and cover my canvas up. Finally, I wash my hands as best I can before heading out of the room. I run upstairs quickly and change into a pair of blue flannel pajama pants and a black tee-shirt. Most of the bruises on my arms have faded by now, so I feel a little more comfortable wearing short sleeves. Besides, Axel already knows about the marks, so there's no point in hiding them anymore. I scurry back downstairs.

Axel's waiting for me in the dining room, still smiling.

"So when do I get to see this secret painting you're working on?" he asks.

"When it's done, I guess," I answer, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Renton bustles in with two steaming bowls of chili, and it smells amazing.

"Evening, sir. Iris," he says with a nod and smile at each of us.

"Hi, Renton. That chili smells incredible," I say, so thankful for his timing.

"It's all in the slow-cooking," he says with a small wink. He sets the bowls in front of us with two packs of oyster crackers each before bowing out. I take a bite and roll my eyes upward.

"Yum! This is so good. This is the type of chili you curl up to enjoy a good movie with on a cold day," I rant, hoping to get Axel's mind off the painting. His eyebrows rise.

"Do you want to? I have plenty of movies; I'm sure there's at least one in there you'd consider good," he says with a smile.

"Well, I don't know. I have a pretty picky taste in movies," I joke.

"Oh, yeah? What's your favorite?" I think for a second before answering.

"_Phantom of the Opera_, probably."

"I have that," he announces happily. I quirk one eyebrow.

"No, you don't," I say, not believing him. His smile widens.

"No, really, I do. Grab your food and come on." He gets up with his bowl and walks out of the room. I stare after him before deciding to follow.

He's in the living room, the movie already on its main menu. Axel's sitting on the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table, his bowl of chili on the arm rest. He grins at me as I sit down.

"Told you I have it," he says triumphantly.

"So you did," I respond. I stretch my legs out, my toes just a few inches from his leg. "Alright, play," I say, pointing to the television. He smiles, hits play, and we settle into silence with our chili.

About halfway through the movie, our empty bowls are on the coffee table, my feet are fully across Axel's lap with his hands on my shins, and I'm singing along obnoxiously loud. I'm self-admittedly pitchy and terrible, and I know this is why Axel is chuckling. He doesn't interrupt until the song is over.

"You're an awful singer," Axel says, though not unkindly. I laugh.

"Yeah, I know. I just love this movie too much not to sing along with it."

A little bit later, another song is about to come on and I get my lungs ready. Axel beats me to it, though by belting out the opening lyrics. I laugh before joining in. It's hard to tell which of us is the worse singer, and I feel slightly bad for Renton seeing as how there is no way he can't hear us. We don't manage to make it through the song before we're both laughing. My stomach aches from laughing so hard, so I sit up in hopes to alleviate it. It doesn't work, and this makes me laugh harder for some reason. I double over and touch my forehead to my knees, still laughing. I feel Axel mimic my movements as his body folds over my lower shins and ankles.

We finally manage to calm down and I feel Axel prop himself back up. After a few deep breaths, I lean up a bit and lift my head to look at Axel. Surprise floods through me when I find his face so close to mine, his eyes burning into mine. I suck in a breath and feel my heart rate pick up. My stomach flutters a little bit as I stare back into his eyes. Two weeks ago, these would be signs of panic and fear, but now they can only be described as curiosity and slight exhilaration.

I'm forced back to my senses when I see his eyes flicker from my eyes to my lips. In one fluid movement, I'm sitting up all the way and pulling my legs away from him. Quickly, I stand up.

"Well! I think I'm going to head up to bed. I did get up pretty early this morning, so…" I trail off. Axel has a slightly shocked expression on his face, but nods.

"Yeah, right. Well…uh…good night then," he says.

"Night," I reply as I hasten out of the room, up the stairs, and into my room. I shut the door behind me and slide down it until I'm sitting on the floor. I put my head in my hands.

"What the hell was that?" I whisper to myself.

I've been acting strange all day. I've spoken to Axel candidly and uncensored, and I didn't feel worried or scared while doing so. I let my sarcasm throw up all over the place throughout the day. I've laughed today more than I have in a long, long time. Then I considered letting him actually kiss me. The most upsetting part of all of this, though, is that I've thoroughly enjoyed every bit of today. I've felt comfortable around Axel all day, and that's not what I'm supposed to be feeling. I can't let myself get close to him. He's not some nice guy who took me in. He _bought _me from a slave market. He _owns _me.

_But he also cares about you, doesn't he?_ I frown at the little voice in my head. He _does _seem to care about me. He doesn't hit me or starve me. I have an actual bed and clean clothes and all the food I want. When you think about it, he just kind of seems like a lonely guy who wanted a companion more than an actual slave. Why didn't he just go out and meet someone if that's the case, though? _Because just buying someone is probably easier… _I frown even deeper. Why does this have to be so damn confusing?

Renton's voice echoes in my head: _If you give him an honest chance, I think you'll find that you actually like him._

Can I actually bring myself to give him that chance, though?


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Over the next two weeks, I pull back from Axel just slightly. I still talk to him casually and without censor, but I make sure to keep the touching to an extreme minimum. The most we've touched since that day has been our fingers brushing when I hand him something, which is how I want things to be…or at least I thought I did. There's been this little spark igniting every time we do accidentally touch. It makes my breath hitch and my palms get sweaty, but it's much different now than when I first got here nearly a month ago. It's almost as if my body is trying to tell me to let him touch me, let him have a chance. The thought excites me, and I think that's what I find most terrifying.

* * *

I don't meant to, but I wake up early on Christmas morning. When my mind registers what day it is, I can't manage to fall back asleep and decide to just get up. I don't bother changing from my pajamas since Christmas, in my opinion, is a pajama day. I pad quietly down the hall and staircase, knowing Axel is still sleeping, and head into the kitchen. Renton is already up, of course, and prepping everything for an early Christmas dinner.

"Morning, Renton. Happy Christmas," I say cheerfully.

"Happy Christmas, Iris. Can I prepare anything for you this morning?" he asks. I shake my head.

"I was actually wondering if it'd be alright if I made breakfast since you have so much to do for dinner." He smiles brightly.

"That would actually be very helpful, but don't feel obligated," he says, polite as ever. I grin, suddenly feeling in high spirits.

"Don't be silly; I want to. It's the season of giving anyway, right?" I ask rhetorically as I pull out everything to make pancakes, eggs, and bacon before setting to work. "So what're we having for dinner?"

"Oh, just the traditional things. You know, turkey, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner rolls, and I've also made pumpkin and apple pie," Renton lists. I'm taken aback slightly.

"For the three of us? Doesn't that seem like a bit much?" I ask while stirring pancake batter. Renton smiles sheepishly and turns slightly pink.

"I suppose I'm just excited. I haven't been able to make a holiday dinner in fourteen years," he explains and I frown slightly. It's still puzzling me why Axel would let me make a fuss over what's such a sad holiday for him.

"I still don't get why he's celebrating it now after all this time," I mumble, not really expecting an answer.

"It's like I told you, he wanted to make you happy. I've seen a bit of a change in him since you got here, Iris. Axel doesn't care about most people, and he definitely doesn't care about them upon first meeting them, but he's cared about you since day one. He's looser around you, more carefree. I suspect him opening up to the holiday after all this time might be his way of starting to get on with his life," Renton responds.

"I suppose I hadn't thought about it that way. I guess it makes sense," I say quietly, pulling the finished bacon out of the oven. Renton nods.

"If there's something I can say about Axel, it's that he doesn't shy away from things that have the potential to make him happy." I muse on this while flipping the final pancake onto the stack next to me.

"But opening back up to the holiday is also something that might make him sad or hurt him, so why take the risk?" I ask. Renton smiles at me.

"Because he knows he won't know how it makes him feel unless he tries it out." I can't help but grin over to him.

"You're just a wealth of double meanings, aren't you?" His returning grin is just as big as mine.

* * *

I have just finished laying breakfast out on the table when Axel walks in. He looks like a zombie, his eyes droopy and sleep filled. He slumps into his seat and props his head against his hand while waving the other in my direction.

"Need…coffee…please," he mumbles. I smile and place his mug in front him. He gratefully takes a sip and seems to perk up slightly. "Thanks," he says a little more clearly.

"Welcome," I say while placing two pancakes, a few strips of bacon, and two fried eggs on his plate before making my plate.

Halfway through breakfast, Axel groans lightly. "Mmm. Renton really outdid himself with breakfast today." I smile down at my plate.

"Actually, I made breakfast," I reply as nonchalantly as possible.

"Really?" he asks with surprise. I look up at him and raise an eyebrow.

"Yes, really," I say, just slightly defensive.

"Oh. Wow. It's really good," he says, taking another bite. I smile again.

"Thanks." A few minutes later, we finish our food and Axel claps his hands together.

"Sooo," he starts slightly awkwardly. "This is the part where presents get opened, right?" I grin at him and his awkwardness.

"Right," I tell him while pushing myself up from my seat.

In the living room, I grin at the little pile of perfectly wrapped presents.

"You had Renton wrap these, didn't you?" I ask. Axel gives me a toothy grin and scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah…speaking of Renton, he should be in here. Hold on," he replies before disappearing back through the dining room. I plop down on floor and start dividing everything into piles based on who they're for. Moments later, Axel comes back in with Renton. I laugh when I see the Santa hat on top of Renton's head. He smiles.

We all get settled and start opening gifts. I finished the snowy painting and decided to give it to Renton. It's a painting of the starry night sky over a snowy field and frozen pond. Renton thanks me sincerely, and I smile.

I receive a nice little collection of novels and poetry, and a simple silver bracelet with a star charm dangling from it from Axel, and a number of sweaters of varying colors and a new set of watercolor paints from Renton.

Once all the presents have been opened, Renton excuses himself and bustles back to the kitchen. Axel and I are both sitting on the couch looking at the lit up tree. I'm running my fingers over my new bracelet and smile.

"Thank you for everything. I really like this bracelet and can't wait to start reading something other than history and finance books," I say softly. He shrugs, but I see a small smirk on his lips.

"You're welcome."

"I actually have something else for you," I say. He raises his eyebrows.

"Yeah?" he asks. I nod, get up, and pull the painting I've been working on out from behind the second couch. I hand it to him, and he grins. "This is awesome. Really different than your other stuff." I nod because he's right. The background consists of red, orange, and yellow swirling together in a chaotic sort of way. Then I applied a layer of lace over it and painted diagonal stripes of rainbow colors through the medium before pulling it away. It ended up feeling as though you're looking at a fire through a rainbow. I didn't know how I felt about it when I first finished it, but seeing Axel looking at it admiringly now makes me smile and blush.

"So you like it?" I ask tentatively. He looks at me disbelievingly.

"Are you kidding? I can't wait to hang this up. It'll really add a pop to my room."

"I'm glad you like it, then" I say with a grin. After another moment of staring at the painting, Axel sets it down on the coffee table.

"I have something else for you, too," he says. I look up at him.

"Really?" I ask. He nods before getting up and pulling something from behind the tree. Just from the shape and size, I already know it's a painting, and I have to fight my grin of irony.

"Now don't laugh. I did your whole follow-your-feelings technique, and this is what I came up with," he said, and he really does look a little embarrassed. He hands me the covered canvas, and I pull the sheet up. I smile widely, automatically loving it. It's a lot like the paintings in his room, but slightly more structured. The black and white form into a pattern of piano keys overlapping one another across the canvas, and instead of just his usual one pop of color, he's lightly splattered every bright color imaginable across it. The painting makes my stomach flutter and my heart skip a beat.

"Thank you. It's beautiful," I whisper.

"It's alright," he says quietly, and I just know he's shrugging again to downplay himself.

"No, really, it's amazing. I absolutely love it," I say, looking up at him intensely. A very light blush creeps onto his cheeks and he averts his gaze, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

"It's not a masterpiece or nothing, but I'm glad you like it," he says, but I know he's really pleased with himself. I grin and get to my feet.

"I'm going to go find the perfect spot to put it," I announce. I'm about to head out of the room, but turn back and take a step towards Axel. Shyly, hesitantly, I stand on my toes and kiss him quickly on the cheek. "Happy Christmas, Axel," I say quietly. I scamper out of the room, too nervous to see his expression. Right outside the room, I pass Renton. He's grinning, and I know he saw what happened. Without saying anything, I hurry past him, but manage to hear what he says under his breath.

"It's a Christmas miracle."


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

"We're going out tonight. Wear something nice and be ready in ten minutes," Axel says as he walks into my room without knocking. I'm laying on my bed with a book in my hands and don't look up from it.

"Where are we going?" I deadpan. Axel looks at his reflection in the mirror on my wall.

"Club I hang out at occasionally. They're having a pretty big New Year's party," he grumbles while slinging a thin tie around his neck and fumbles to tie it. I glance over at him and watch him struggle and swear under his breath. Finally I sigh and get up, tossing my book on my bed. I walk over to him.

"Here," I mutter, grabbing either side of the fabric. Deftly, I tie, tighten, and straighten it out. "How do you own a business and not know how to tie a tie?"

"I usually ask Renton to do it," he says with a grin. I roll my eyes and give him the once over. He's wearing black slacks, a white dress shirt, a jacket that fits him nicely, and a thin black tie. I glace down and see he's wearing a shiny pair of dress shoes. I wince slightly as a memory crosses my mind, but push it away. "How do you know how to tie ties?" he asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Always had to tie my brother's," I explain. "Do I really have to go with you?" I complain.

"Don't you want to? It'll be fun," he says, looking at me quizzically. I look down at my gray sweatpants, paint splattered shirt, and stocking feet.

"I'm sure it will be, but that means I have to get dressed," I say. I know I sound whiny, but I just feel like being lazy. He grins.

"Oh, come on. Don't make me go by myself," he says just as whiny. "Don't make me make it an order. Just come willingly." I roll my eyes.

"Alright, but you have to give me twenty minutes if you want me to actually look good," I say. Axel grins.

"Deal. Meet you downstairs when you're done." I sigh and wave my hand to express understanding, and he leaves. I blow a strand of hair out of my face and throw open my closet. I pull out a black cocktail dress, throw it over my shoulder, and leave the room to go to the bathroom. In there, I swipe on some black eyeliner and mascara and a soft pink shade of lipstick. I use a curling iron to create big, loose curls and run my fingers through them to break them up into soft curly waves. I strip down and shimmy into the dress. It's strapless and fitted down to mid-thigh. It's ruched through the body and gives off the illusion of me being curvier than I really am. I slip on a pair of dangly silver ear rings, nod at my reflection, and get up to go pick out a pair of shoes. I get stuck between a pair of glittery silver heels and a pair of strappy red ones.

"Axel!" I shout loudly.

"What?" I hear him shout back from somewhere downstairs.

"Come here please!" I hear his feet on the stairs, and he's in my doorway moments later.

"Using the intercom would've been too difficult?" he asks with a sarcastic grin.

"Well you shouted back," I mumble. He chuckles slightly.

"What do you need?" he asks.

"I can't decide between these," I say, holding up each pair of shoes in my hands. He raises his eyebrows.

"And you want me to decide?" I roll my eyes.

"Obviously," I drawl. He laughs again.

"Jeez. Easy with the attitude. I like the red ones," he replies.

"Figures," I murmur, but I drop the silver ones to put on his pick.

"Well, they'll go better with this," he says. I look up and there's a black fabric choker with a rather large red flower adorning it. I wrinkle my nose. At my look of distaste, he continues. "It's required by the club. Every member is assigned a color and symbol. It's to keep track of which servant belongs to which member." I sneer slightly.

"Does it have to be the entire thing, or just the flower?" I ask.

"Just the flower. Why?" he asks with a furrow of his eyebrows.

"Be right back," I say quietly before walking past him. I come back and sit down with a pair of scissors, a paper clip, and a plain hair clip. "Give me the stupid thing, please." I say while holding out my hand. He crosses over to where I'm sitting on my bed and drops it into my open palm. I quickly snip the flower off the fabric and bend the paper clip to fasten it to the hair clip discreetly. I walk over to the mirror and fasten it into my hair before turning and facing Axel. "Acceptable?" I watch as his eyes go from the clip to my face and down my body. He grins.

"Very," he says softly. I roll my eyes at his leering. Ever since Christmas, I've just sort of let whatever happens happen, and that includes creepy leering.

"Alright, let's go and get this over with," I say with an exasperated sigh.

"You sound so excited."

"Don't I, though?"

* * *

At the club, Axel puts his hand on my lower back and guides me to a table. Zexion and another man are already sitting there, both accompanied by a woman. Axel holds out a chair for me and I sit.

"Hey, guys, how's it going?" Axel asks as he sits down next to me.

"Well enough," Zexion replies with a nod to Axel and a small smile to me.

"Awesome!" chimes the other man, and I jump at his voice. I look over; he has black hair streaked with silver, an eye patch covering one eye, and scars down his face. I can't help staring, and he notices. He grins and runs a thumb down a particularly long scar. "Like that, sweetheart? Got into a brawl with a drunk guy back in my younger years. You think this is bad, you should've seen him," he tells me before turning to address Axel. "Axel, dude, who's this pretty little lady?"

"Iris, meet Xigbar. Xigbar, meet Iris," Axel says with a small sigh. Xigbar smiles widely.

"Good to meet you, darling." I nod.

"Y-You, too." Xigbar leans back and slings an arm around the shoulders of the brunette next to him. She has her eyes on the table and doesn't move when Xigbar touches her. He doesn't introduce her, but she doesn't seem bothered. I glance over and see Zexion also has an arm around the raven-haired girl next to him, but makes no move to introduce her either. _They're slaves, _I realize, and frown slightly. I don't see any bruises on either of them, but neither seems completely comfortable with their owners. Neither of them speaks or pulls their eyes from the table. It bothers me.

"You want something to drink?" Axel asks me, pulling me from my thoughts.

"What?" I sputter out. I look over and see a waitress standing there. My brain registers what he just asked me. "Uh, yeah, sure, could I get a Midori sour?" I ask the waitress. She scowls at me slightly, but nods before walking off.

"You know your liquor?" Axel asks, looking at me with an expression of surprise. I grin at him.

"Yeah, why? Do you need help ordering?" I tease. He smiles back and elbows me softly.

"Let's just see how well you hold it," he replies before resting an arm along the back of my chair casually, not quite around me, giving me my space. I smile.

* * *

A few drinks later, I'm feeling happily buzzed. Considering the look on Axel's face, I'd say he is too. The music in the club is loud, and I can feel the bass thumping deep in my body. I sway slightly to it and grin as I finish up another drink. I stand up and grab onto Axel's hand.

"Dance with me," I say, trying to pull him up. He grins sloppily and shakes his head.

"I can't dance," he says. I blow him a raspberry.

"I don't believe that for a second. All sexy people can dance," I slur. His grin gets bigger.

"You think I'm sexy?" he teases. Xigbar rolls his eyes.

"Just get up and dance with her before I do, dumbass," he says. Axel glares half-heartedly at him before standing up. I squeal and drag him onto the dance floor. I press my back to his front and place his hands on my hips as I sway and shimmy with the music. After just a minute of hesitation, Axel moves with me. I grin drunkenly, enjoying the feeling of his body against mine.

After a few songs, I feel significantly danced out and we head back to the table. I giggle as I plop down into my chair and wave at the waitress for another drink. I pull my shoes off and toss them under the table. I put my feet into Axel's lap and take a deep breath.

"What time is it? Is it the new year yet?" I ask bubbily. Zexion smiles slightly and glances at his watch.

"Not quite. Ten minutes to go," he replies. The waitress comes back over and drops my drink in front of me rather forcefully.

"Me-ow," I say. "Someone's catty." She glares at me and stalks off. Axel chuckles and twirls a piece of my hair around his finger.

"Now, Iris, don't provoke the waitresses," he says airily. I stick my tongue out at him before taking a long drink from my glass. I stand up.

"I'm going to go use the ladies room," I announce with another grin before walking off.

After doing my business and washing my hands, I step out of the restroom. I'm heading back to the table when I hear something that makes me stop.

"You belong to _me_, you little bitch," a voice snarls. I look over and see a tall, well-built man with long pink hair bending over a small young woman in a white cocktail dress. Her blonde hair flows over her shoulders and her eyes are downcast. I can see her face is red, and I have the impression she's crying. I glance back towards the table and see Axel staring at me. "Are you listening to me? I swear, if I ever see you dancing with someone else like some common whore, I will beat you to within an inch of your life!" the man screams in the blonde's face. Breaking my gaze from Axel, I start making my way towards the pair. I can hear her voice once I get closer.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again, sir," she says. Her voice is quivering, and now I know she's definitely crying. I can see her body shaking with fear, and I'm suddenly angrier than I've ever been.

"Damn right it won't, and let me remind you why," he says, raising a hand to strike her. Maybe the alcohol makes me do it, I don't know, but I throw myself between them and stop his advancing blow by grabbing onto his arm. He blinks in confusion for a moment before glaring down at me. I stare at him with just as much venom before pushing his arm back at him.

"I suggest you calm down and leave her alone," I say quietly, but I know he hears me.

"And I suggest you mind your own fucking business and scurry back to your own master," he hisses back. A drop of spittle lands on my face. I wipe it away pointedly and stand my ground.

"I'll walk away when I see fit. I'm not going to step down when you're about to lay hands on a girl half your size. What type of sick man does that?" I say levelly. The man leans down slightly to get closer to my face. I don't move.

"I can do whatever I damn well please to that girl. She is my _property. _ I don't know what type of liberal guy bought you, but he needs to beat some respect into you," he says violently.

"Oh, I have plenty of respect in my, but none for pieces of shit like you," I reply matter-of-factly, but with acid dripping from my words. Hatred fills his eyes, and before I know what's happening, he's hit me hard across the face. Pain explodes in my cheek bone and radiates down my face and up into my eye and forehead. The blow is hard enough to throw me to the floor. I quickly get onto my knees and deliver a hard punch to the man's groin. He doubles over, swearing, and I get to my feet and throw a punch to his face. He staggers backward before looking up and locking eyes with me. He lunges forward and wraps his hands around my throat. He slams me into a wall and stars explode in front of my face. He tightens his grip and I feel the air leave my body.

Right before I feel like I'm about to pass out, the air rushes back into my lungs. I collapse onto the floor and cough repeatedly, trying to regain proper breathing. I look up in time to see Axel punch the guy in the face while Xigbar holds him.

"Axel, dude, get her home. I'll take care of this guy," Xigbar says, dragging the guy away.

"You need to put that bitch of yours on a leash!" the man yells, snarling. Axel ignores him and kneels down in front of me. He searches my eyes to make sure I'm okay before grabbing my wrists and pulling me to my feet. He wraps an arm around my waist and gets me out of the club as quickly as he can.

As he bustles me into the car, I hear a chorus of "happy New Year!" behind me.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Renton rushes us back to Axel's house, and I'm feeling delightfully numb. Once in the foyer, I head up the stairs to go to bed and don't notice Axel following me. As I'm about to turn to walk to my room, Axel grabs onto my upper arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asks. His voice is low.

"Bed," I deadpan. I think I see a smirk almost grace his lips. Almost.

"Nu-uh. I don't think so, not like this. My room, now," he says and tugs me down the other way of the hall. I don't put up a fight.

In his room, he unbuttons and pulls off his shirt. He grabs a pair of his boxers from the closet and hands both items to me.

"Change into these and I'll get something to clean your face up," he says before disappearing into his bathroom.

"My face?" I whisper to myself. I lift a hand up to where the man hit me. I discover, upon pulling it away, blood. "Oh," I say to myself again. Still numb, I take off my dress, pull on the boxers, and pull the shirt over my shoulders. I try to do the buttons, but my fingers feel thick and uncoordinated. Instead, I just pull it close to my body and sit down on Axel's bed, my back against the headboard.

Axel walks back in and sits down in front of me. He leans forward and gently slips my earrings out before unlatching the flower clip from my hair. His eyes wander downward and he furrows his eyebrows.

"Why didn't you button the shirt?" he asks. I grin lopsidedly and hold up my hands.

"My fingers won't work," I explain thickly. He sighs, reaches forward, and deftly does up the buttons. His fingertips occasionally touch my skin, sending warmth from the spots. He reaches over and grabs a wet cloth he brought in with him and gently presses it to my face. I feel dried blood detach from my skin.

"Damn. This is deeper than I thought. I'll have to have Zex come by in the morning to stitch it up," Axel mumbles.

"How did I get a cut? I thought he just punched me," I say through a haze.

"I don't know. He was probably wearing a ring or something," Axel says. He puts the cloth down and pours rubbing alcohol onto a pad of gauze. "This is going to sting a little." He presses it to my cheekbone, and the haze I'm in lifts immediately. I hiss and jerk my face away from him. He brings his other hand up and cups the other side of my face. "Hold still," he demands, pressing the gauze back to the cut. I hiss again and screw my eyes shut.

"Fuck," I say through clenched teeth.

"I told you it was going to sting a bit," he says indifferently.

"A bit? That stings a lot more than a bit."

"Well _maybe _if you hadn't gone and gotten yourself punched, we wouldn't be doing this right now," he says acidly while pulling the gauze away. He picks up a few of those thin, little bandages used to hold small wounds closed.

"Are you mad?" I say quietly. He doesn't meet my eyes, but focuses instead on putting the bandages on my face.

"I'm feeling… a lot of things right now," he says, thoroughly avoiding the question.

"Such as?" I ask, biting down on my lip. He applies one more bandage, sits back, and sighs.

"Anger at you, anger at that guy, anger at myself, embarrassment, and a little bit of awe."

"Awe?" I ask, surprised by this. A smile definitely crosses his face this time.

"I never would've thought you had such an arm on you," he explains, and I can't help but smile.

"What were you thinking, though? You can't just go around butting into other peoples' business like that," he says, his smiling falling. Mine does too.

"You didn't hear what he was saying to that girl! It was disgusting. I couldn't just stand by and let that happen," I explain heatedly. Axel pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Well I can probably assure you she got much worse when he took her home."

"What? But I-"

"Look, this is the world now. Not everyone is as nice as me. In fact, nearly everyone treats the servants they buy like shit, and they're allowed to by law," he says. I narrow my eyes.

"Well it's a shitty law, and I would change it if-"

"But you can't now, can you?" Axel hisses, and I snap my mouth closed.

"Why aren't you like everyone else?" I ask quietly after a pause, not looking at him.

"What?" he asks.

"You don't treat me like shit; why?" I repeat. He sighs again.

"I try not to treat anyone like shit. I'm a smart-ass, not an asshole."

"But if you have the _right _to exert your dominance over me, why don't you? There have been plenty of situations where anyone else would've, right? So why don't you?" I ask intently.

"Ugh, do we have to do this right now?" he asks while running a hand down his face.

"Please…I need to know," I say, looking at him with intensity. He stares into my eyes for a moment before deciding to answer.

"I never had the urge to with you. Sure, you can be frustrating and stubborn and sarcastic, but I don't really mind. I don't _want _to squash those qualities out of you. I don't want to force you to be with me. I want you to just do it on your own, I guess," he explains. I search his eyes for some trace of manipulation, but come up short. I gnaw on my lip, drowning in the thoughts of everything I could say in response.

Finally, I force all my thoughts away and just do what seems right. I reach out and place both of my hands on his face and stare into his eyes. His breath hitches.

"What're you-" He doesn't get the chance to finish his question as I close my eyes and press my lips to his.

* * *

In the morning, I wake curled up against Axel. I flip over gently in his arms and observe his sleeping face. I smile at his peaceful expression and think about last night. It took him a few minutes to register what happened before he reciprocated, but boy, did he reciprocate! After my initial, shy little kiss, he placed his hand against the back of my neck and pulled me in for another kiss. His kiss was so intense and passionate; it made me feel as though every inch of me were on fire. He broke the kiss with a grin and pulled me down onto the bed with him. He nuzzled his face in my hair and we drifted off to sleep together.

Now, I run my fingers along his jaw line and place a gently kiss against it. He stirs and his eyes flutter open. He smiles when he looks into my face before lifting a hand and running it through my hair.

"Morning," he whispers.

"Morning," I reply.

"So, last night was…" he trails off, waiting for me to finish the sentence for him. I take a nervous swallow.

"About last night… What, uh, what does that make us now…?" I ask, not wanting to believe this gives us a typical master-servant relationship. His smile widens.

"Whatever you want it to," he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I close my eyes and smile contentedly.


	21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

It's interesting how easily Axel and I transitioned from whatever we were to whatever we are now. Neither of us have put a title or a label on our relationship and just let it stand as whatever it is. I assume this would bother anyone else in a normal situation, but given the oddity of ours, I find it a bit relieving. I don't feel stressed to say we're a couple since most people don't buy their significant others in a marketplace, but we're also not adhering to the master-servant norm. The entire thing is strange and unnerving, but I've decided to just go with the flow.

Through the rest of the winter, Axel and I mostly stay holed up in his house. Neither of us are huge fans of the cold weather, so this doesn't particularly bother us. We spend time watching movies, painting, and he occasionally sits and listens to me play the piano. I read in his office while he grumbles and swears over spreadsheets and portfolios.

Despite how comfortable we both are through the winter, I think we're both a bit relieved when it starts warming up at the beginning of spring. On a particularly warm day, I'm sitting in the dining room eating a bowl of cereal when I hear feet pounding down the stairs. Moments later, Axel bounds into the room in a blur, scoops me out of my chair, spins us around once, and places me on my feet. Laughter bursts from my lips at his behavior.

"Good morning!" he says in a sing-song voice before planting a kiss on my lips.

"Morning. Someone's chipper this morning," I reply, still smiling.

"Sure am. Want to know why?" He asks with a mysterious grin. I plop back down into my chair.

"Nope," I say teasingly before taking another bite of my cereal. He places his hands on my shoulders and leans down to pepper my cheek with kisses.

"Well too bad, because I'm gonna tell you anyway," he says. He straightens up and hops up to sit on the edge of the table.

"Course you are," I mumble light-heartedly, causing his smile to widen ever further.

"Of course I am! The sun is shining, the forecast calls for warm weather, and I am taking you out for the day," he says. I raise my eyebrows.

"Really? Last time we went out, I basically got into a bar fight," I say, tracing the scar on my cheek absentmindedly. His smile doesn't falter.

"Nothing like that. We're going somewhere very different. I was thinking lunch, shopping, maybe a movie before a nice dinner, and finish it off with some dessert at this awesome place I know. How's all that sound?" he asks. I bite my lip.

"Are there going to be a lot of …um…people like us there?" I ask, really not wanting a repeat of what happened on New Years. He frowns slightly before shaking his head.

"There might be a few, but it's not very common where we're going." I nod.

"Alright. Where are we going?" I finally ask. He grins and gets off the table.

"Twilight Town. Now hurry up and get ready. I want to leave within an hour," he says before picking up my now empty bowl and heading into the kitchen. I smile and shake my head slightly.

Upstairs, I take a quick shower, tie my hair up in a wavy ponytail with a few strands framing my face, and pull on a pair of dark flare jeans. I start thumbing through my tops and furrow my eyebrows.

"Hey, Axel!" I call.

"Yeah?" I hear him yell back.

"When you say it's going to be warm today, how warm are we talking?"

"Reasonably warm," his voice answers. I roll my eyes.

"Really?" I whisper to myself before shouting back. "Thanks! Your vagueness was super helpful!" I give a thumbs-up sign to the door even though I know he can't see me.

I'm debating between a bell sleeved violet sweater and a short sleeved green tee-shirt when my door swings open. I shriek and cover myself with the tops and swivel to glare at Axel. He's leaning in my door frame wearing black jeans, the boots he was wearing the day he bought me, and a red tee-shirt layered over a black long sleeved shirt. He seems unperturbed by the fact he's walked in on me getting dressed.

"What do you need me to be more specific about?" he asks.

"Don't you knock?" I shout. He shrugs.

"Not normally," he answers, a grin playing at his lips. "Is that specific enough?" I grab a pillow off my bed and throw it at him.

"Get out, get out, get out!" I yell. He chuckles before ducking out and shutting the door behind him. I let out an exasperated groan and plop down onto my bed. _Well…he was wearing long sleeves… _I almost laugh at the thought. I suppose him bursting in here was semi-helpful. I pull the sweater on over my head.

It takes about half an hour to get from Traverse Town to Twilight Town by train. I'm surprised by the stark contrast between the two towns. Twilight Town is bright, clean, and cheerful where Traverse Town has become grimy and sketchy in the past year and a half. It's as though Twilight Town remains untouched by all of the law changes that have occurred since…_since the _change _of rulers..._ I push the bitter thought from my head and decide to focus on the day ahead of me. Luckily, a nearby shop immediately grabs my attention.

"Oh, my God," I say. I grab onto Axel's hand and hurriedly drag him over to where I'm looking, repeating the phrase over and over again. I drag him into the shoe store, girly excitement all over my face. I glace back at him and grin when I see his typical male reaction: eyes turned heavenward and a grimace marring his features. "Hey, this was all _your _idea, so you can't complain…got it memorized?" I ask, mocking him. He gives me a look like he's a wounded animal, and I can't help but laugh loudly.

A few hours later, we're sitting at a wrought iron table of a little sidewalk café. Countless shopping bags are crowded around Axel's feet and his facial expression makes him look as though he's just escaped a terrible war. I grin into my sandwich and he glares at me slightly.

"If I had known this would happen, we would've just stayed home," he says.

"Aw, what do you mean? Aren't you having fun?" I ask with a sickly sweet tone before taking another bite of my lunch.

"I hate you," he mumbles.

"No, you don't," I answer. He smiles slightly.

"Yeah…I don't… I'm pretty damn happy we're done with shopping, though," he says with an over-exaggerated sigh.

* * *

"This movie is absolutely awful," I whisper.

"I _know! _This was such a bad decision," he whispers back.

"Bet you miss the shopping now, huh?" I tease, elbowing him lightly in the ribs. His arm tightens around my shoulder.

"Maybe this movie isn't that bad. In fact, I might buy the DVD when it comes out." I laugh and throw a small handful of popcorn at his face.

* * *

"Did I mention you look really pretty today?" Axel asks during dinner. I look up at him and raise an eyebrow.

"Do I? I didn't exactly do anything special," I say. He shrugs.

"You always look pretty," he says while taking another bite of his steak. Without thinking about it, I reach a hand up to trace the scar on my face; it's become a habit ever since Zexion took the stitches out. "Yes, even with the scar," Axel says, watching my actions. I drop my hand and grimace.

"It's so ugly," I say quietly.

"Nah. I think it gives you an 'I'm a badass, don't mess with me' kinda look," he replies with a grin. I smile back since I know that's what he wants me to do. "How did your nose get crooked?" he asks. I tilt my head and look at him with a blank expression.

"Really? That's what you ask me right after I mention my ugly scar?" I say slightly incredulously. He chuckles and rubs the back of his head.

"It just kinda came out," he explains. I sigh.

"It got broken during my kidnapping," I say. Thankfully, he lets it drop at that when the waiter come over.

"Anything else for the lovely couple?" the waiter asks. I cringe slightly at his word choice, but don't say anything. Axel eyes me for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, just the check, thanks."

* * *

"Where are we going, Axel?" I ask with a small laugh. He has his hands over my eyes and has already taken me up an innumerable amount of stairs.

"Don't worry about it; we're almost there," his voice says quietly in my ear. A chill goes down my spine and I smile. He pauses before piping up again. "Uh…you're not afraid of heights, are you?" I laugh again.

"You've already taken me up an ungodly amount of stairs, and you just now think to ask me that?"

"Shut up. I didn't think about it. Just answer the question," he says with a laugh in his voice.

"No, I'm not," I respond.

"Good," he says. "Alright, I'm gonna move my hands, but you have to keep your eyes closed, okay?"

"'Kay."

"Promise?"

"Yes, Axel, I promise," I say with an edge of impatience. His hands lift from my eyes and I feel him wave one of them in front of my face to make sure my eyes are still closed. I smirk. A door opens and a gentle breeze caresses my face. His hands close around mine and he gently tugs me forward. After a few feet, he lets go and instructs me to open my eyes. I do.

I gasp. He's taken me to the top of the clock tower, and the view is spectacular. The sun is setting over the town, casting reds and pinks and oranges over the houses and buildings. I know there are people still walking on the street, but it feels as though we're the only two people left in the town from up here.

"It's beautiful up here, Axel. Thank you," I say in awe. He shrugs and sits down on the edge, patting the spot next to him. When I sit down, he hands me a pale blue popsicle. I smile and take a bite. It's sweet and salty and strange and wonderful. We watch the sky in silence for a few moments.

"Bet you don't know why the sun sets red," Axel suddenly says. I look over and he's grinning at me arrogantly.

"Light's made up of a bunch of colors. Of the ones we can see, red travels farthest," I answer, mirroring his grin. He starts, obviously taken aback.

"Well, geez, aren't you a know-it-all," he says, obviously a bit crestfallen. I bump him with my shoulder.

"You were going to say the same thing if I didn't know the answer, so look who's talking. So how do you know about getting up here? Are you from here or something?" I ask while taking another bite of my ice cream.

"Nah, but I did live here for a little while a few years back. I had a friend who brought me up here. We used to hang out up here sometimes." I raise my eyebrows.

"Really? Does he still live around here?" Axel shakes his head and he seems a little sad.

"I don't think so. We just sorta lost contact one day when…er…when things started changing," he says and I know what he means. "I don't know what happened to him. Guess he and his family just moved."

"What was his name?" I ask, curious since Axel never really talks about his past.

"Roxas," he answers, and I choke a little on my treat. I cough and sputter and he pats my back. "Hey, what's up? You alright?"

"R-Roxas? What did he look like?"

"Uh…kinda short. Spiky blonde hair, really blue eyes, kinda feminine looking. Why?" I groan and put a hand to my forehead. "Iris, what is it?" he asks, obviously confused and concerned by my behavior.

"I knew Roxas," I say quietly, not looking at him immediately. I glance up and see him looking at me questioningly. I look back down. "He was brought in to the breakers shortly after me."

"What happened to him?" Axel asks quietly. I shake my head.

"I shouldn't tell you." He grabs my hand, and I look up to his eyes, startled. They look like they've been set on fire.

"Tell me," he demands. I open my mouth and close it several times before finally answering.

"He…He strangled himself with a pair of shoelaces after a week." His eyes search mine, trying to see if I'm playing some sick joke. When he realizes I'm telling him the truth, he drops his face into my shoulder and sobs softly. I bring a hand up to stroke his hair and make quiet shushing sounds and repeat the only thing I can think to say: "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I don't know if I'm apologizing for the loss of his friend or apologizing because I didn't do anything about it.


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

Chapter Twenty-One

Axel remains upset about Roxas for a few days, and I feel guilty. I don't know if I feel guilty about not saving Roxas or guilty about telling Axel about him. I could've lied and told him I didn't know Roxas or he had been bought by someone; anything would've been better than the truth.

Thinking about Roxas makes me think about all the other young men and women I didn't help when I had the chance. These thoughts make my mind wander back to the night I couldn't even save myself. It's this thought that I fall asleep to a few nights later.

_I wake up to the sound of a crash. I rub my eyes and look over to my clock. It's three in the morning, so I know it's not my sister or brother just getting in. Even when they go to outrageous parties, they get in at a semi-respectable hour. I lay and listen for another sound and am soon granted with indistinguishable yelling. It sounds like my dad, but I can't be sure. I clamber out of bed and cross my room the door. I crack it open and pop my head out. The yelling is louder out here, but still too far away to hear properly. I almost jump out of my skin when I hear another door along the hall open. I quickly look and see my brother's head sticking out of his door. He looks at me quizzically._

_ "What's going on, Ris-Ris?" he whispers. I shake my head and frown. Him being twenty-one and me eighteen, he only uses his childhood nickname for me when he's really worried about something._

_ "I don't know, Me-Me" I reply. I glance down the hall to our sister's closed door. "Where's Lars?" I ask. He looks to her door as well before shrugging. There's another crash and he waves at me, gesturing for me to come into his room. I scamper across the few feet separating our doors. He pulls me inside and shuts and locks the door._

_ "What do you think we should do?" he asks, fear in his eyes._

_ "I don't know… I mean, I'm sure mom and dad heard it, so they'll probably take care of it, right?" I ask anxiously. _

_ "But how could someone have gotten in? They'd have to get over the gate and past the guards without tripping the alarms." I only have a second to ponder this before a scream and a slamming sound permeates the air. My brother and I both jump and look at the door fearfully. "That sounded like-"_

_ "-Mommy?" I whimper, unintentionally finishing his sentence. We scurry into a corner of the room together as footsteps sound on the staircase. A light in the hallway clicks on and I can see shadows moving under the door. The shadows disappear, but I hear my bedroom door open. My brother is suddenly on his feet and pulling me up._

_ "They must be after you. Quick, hide in the closet before they come in here, and don't make a sound," he says, shoving me towards his closet. I've never heard him sound so resolute, so I do as he says. I huddle into the very back of the closet behind his clothes and he shuts the door. I hear him shuffle back into bed to fake sleeping._

_ A few minutes later, his bedroom door opens and I hear the pad of footsteps go to his bed. It sounds as though there are two, maybe three, people in the room._

_ "Get up, kid. I know you're awake," a smooth, deep voice says. A strangled sound erupts from my brother's lips as someone forces him out of bed. I have to make myself remain where I am._

_ "Where's your sister?" a different, rougher voice asks._

_ "Wh-Which one?" my brother asks, and it sounds as though he's struck across the face._

_ "Don't play dumb. You know which one we're looking for."_

_ "If she wasn't in her room, I don't know where she is," he says, but I hear the quiver in his voice._

_ "He's lying," says a third voice with a hint of laughter. "What a good brother, trying to save his baby sister. What a farce."_

_ "A far- no, don't!"_

_ The closet door is suddenly wrenched open and a hand grabs onto my hair. I scream as the man pulls me from my hiding spot._

_ "Well, well, well. Look at what I found," the third man hisses in my ear and a piece of his long blue-silver hair falls into my face. My brother makes a lunge for the man, but one of the other men, a burly man with long black hair and sideburns, grabs him to hold him back._

_ "What a pathetic display," drawls the first voice, now matching a man with long silver hair and amber eyes. He waves his hand at the man holding me._

_ "You're coming with me," the man says, tightening his grip on my upper arm._

_ "No! Ris-Ris!" my brother screams, reaching a hand out to me. I try in vain to struggle forward to grab on, but I can't reach._

_ "Me-Me!" I yell desperately, tears flowing down my face as I'm dragged from the room and down the grand staircase. I'm screaming at the top of my lungs, but no one seems to hear me. "Mommy! Daddy! Lars!" I yell, and the man chuckles._

_ "Oh, they can't help you now," he says calmly. In the living room, I learn what he means. The figure of my father is slumped against the wall, a gaping bloody wound in his chest and blood splattered on the wall behind him._

"_Daddy! No! Daddy!" I cry uselessly. My eyes dart around the room fervently and I spot my mother, sprawled on the floor, unmoving but there's no blood. _She's just knocked out; she's not dead. She can't be dead, _I think, hoping more than anything I'm right._

_Outside, the bodies of our guards litter the ground. The scene is terrifying and extremely gruesome, and I feel my knees going weak and my brain going hazy. I'm forced into a dark car and the man climbs in after me. I get one burst of adrenaline and lash out at him, but he catches my wrists easily in one hand and grabs the back of my head in the other. He presses my face against the window and puts his lips against my ear._

"_Goodnight, princess," he whispers before rearing my head back and slamming it against the window. I feel my nose snap before blacking out._

I bolt upright in my bed and look around, panicked. I'm drenched in a cold sweat and my face is wet with tears. I'm shaking violently as my eyes dart around the room. Realizing where I am, I let out the breath I had been holding and feel my limbs go limp. Knowing I won't be able to go back to sleep, I shakily get out of bed and leave the room.


	23. Chapter TwentyTwo

Chapter Twenty-Two

Axel's Point-of-View

The alarm on my bedroom door screams and wakes me up violently. I scramble to click on my bedside lamp. Light floods the room and after the second it takes for my eyes to adjust, I let out a relieved sigh; it's just Iris. I press a button to turn off the alarm.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm sorry," she stammers out, looking at the floor. I smile.

"It's alright. You okay?" I ask, noticing it's 2:30 in the morning. She looks up at me and shakes her head. I see the unshed tears in her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong? Come here," I tell her, opening my arms. She doesn't hesitate in crossing the room and climbing into my lap. She wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, and she burrows her face into my shoulder. She's shaking and I feel her tears on my skin. I don't know what to do, so I simply rub my hand up and down her back. I don't know how long we stay that way, but she eventually manages to quiet her sobs. Her muscles relax, and she goes more or less limp against me. Finally, she pulls back and wipes her eyes against the back of her hand and sniffles. I give her a weak smile and push some hair back from her face.

"I-I'm sorry. I had a b-bad d-dream," she hiccups quietly.

"What about?" I ask just as quietly.

"The night I got k-k-kidnapped." I bite down on my bottom lip.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask a bit awkwardly. She stays quiet for a minute before nodding resolutely.

"Yeah, I do," she says evenly. She unlatches herself from me, pushes me back against the headboard, and settles herself between my legs. She leans back against me, and I wrap my arms around her middle, resting my chin on top of her head. She launches into her tale, telling me about her brother forcing her into his closet, getting dragged back through her house, seeing her parents in the living room and the slaughtered guards in the yard, and having her nose broken against the car window before blacking out.

"Then what?" I ask. Her story is making me sick to my stomach, but I know she needs to open up about all of this.

"I woke up in a dark room. It was cold and dank and I was on the stone floor. There were other boys and girls in the room, all huddled along the walls. The man who brought me there was sitting in a chair in front of me. When he saw that I was awake, he grinned this sickening grin, got up, and pulled me to my feet by my hair. That became his favorite way of torturing me since it always made me cry. He told me that I was going to be sold into the newly formed slave market. He told me that if I was submissive and good, he wouldn't hurt me. I told him to drop dead. He beat me and knocked me out. This continued every time I woke up. It continued for days. I remember spitting blood onto his shoes until they were ruined. He broke my wrist for that. You know the rest of what happened from there," she finishes.

"Did you ever find out if your mother was…" I trail off. She shakes her head.

"No one ever told me anything. I'm not stupid, though. They killed her. They probably killed Lars and Me-Me, too," she says sadly. I frown and am extremely glad she can't see me right now. I've known the story since the press released it. I probably know more of the story than she does, quite frankly. I play with our entwined fingers to distract myself.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened to you," I mumble, and this isn't a lie.

"It's not your fault," she mumbles back. I hear the sounds of sleep in her voice.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mhm," she hums her assent.

"Are you…Are you happy here?" I ask. For some reason, I feel as though her answer will justify my reasons for not telling her the truth.

"Yeah," she says after a moment and I let out a mental sigh of relief. "I am. Happiest I've been since that night. I suppose that's all I can ask for," she finishes with a yawn.

"Let's get you to sleep," I say, shifting behind her. She moves forward and turns around to face me.

"Can I stay in here tonight? I don't think I'll be able to fall back asleep if I'm alone," she mumbles. I chuckle.

"I figured that's why you came in here in the first place," I answer. She smiles slightly before crawling to the other side of the bed and cuddling under the covers. I lay down, wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against me, spooning her. I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of her hair. "You know," I whisper. "If you want, you can stay in here every night." She wiggles slightly, getting more comfortable against me.

"I'd like that," she replies. I smile against her hair. I close my eyes and am just on the brink of falling asleep when I feel her fingers running up and down the length of my arm, and her whispering voice reaches me from somewhere far off: "I think I might love you."

I fall asleep before figuring out if I imagined it or not.


	24. Chapter TwentyThree

A/N: Hello, everyone! Few warning about this chapter.

1: It's the longest chapter I've written so far.

2: The latter half of it contains a very lemony lemon. If you don't enjoy that sort of thing, feel free to skip it when you get there. I don't know why you're in a M-rated story if you don't like that sort of thing, but what do I know?

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three

Finally talking to Axel about what happened the night I was kidnapped turns out to be very cathartic. Ever since that night, I've felt something inside me healing. It's as though talking about it allowed me to let it go and start to move on. I finally experienced a proper grieving period during the first few weeks after I told him, spontaneously crying and yelling. He remained supportive and understanding through it, and I eventually got through it and began chippering up. I think him being there for me created more of a closeness between us. I'm much more affectionate towards him now, often initiating touches, kisses, and the like. He's noticed this and has also stopped holding himself back. There have been many times where things have gotten heavy between us, but I've stopped him each time, never quite ready. Then my birthday came.

"Happy birthday, beautiful," Axel says against the back of my neck when I wake up on July first.

"Thanks," I yawn.

"What do you want to do today?" he asks, kissing my neck softly.

"Mmm, can we go to the beach?" I ask, enjoying the feel of his lips against my skin. Unfortunately, at my words, he stops.

"The beach?" he asks. He sounds slightly upset. I turn over to look at him.

"Yeah. What's wrong with the beach?" I ask, bringing a hand up to trace his jawline.

"I…Alright, it's stupid, but I can't swim," he announces, trying to sound nonchalant. His face turns slightly red, though, so I know it's a bit embarrassing for him. I stifle a grin.

"It's not a big deal. You don't have to swim at the beach. Most people just wade in or sunbathe anyway. We could always have a mini bonfire when the sun sets. You know, roast marshmallows, make s'mores. That sorta thing," I say. I can tell he's thinking rather hard on it and he finally sighs.

"Alright. If you _really _want to, I guess we can," he says, making it sound like I just asked him to go get his teeth extracted. I grin up at him.

"Well when's your birthday?"

"August eighth."

"Alright. We can do whatever you want on your birthday next month then, okay?" He fixes me with a grin and a leer.

"_Anything?_" he asks suggestively. I roll my eyes.

"Just get up, you pervert," I say while sitting up. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me back down, quickly climbing on top of me.

"Who are you calling a pervert, missy?" he asks, grinning down at me. I press my hands against his chest, but I know I can't move him.

"You," I answer simply. He takes my hands and pins them on either side of my head. He leans down and runs his nose along the length of my neck. He kisses here and there softly.

"That's odd. Last I checked, you've been enjoying it." His voice is soft and husky, his breath gentle against my neck. I feel warmth pool in my lower abdomen, and I know I'm losing my resolve. I've been losing it for a while, actually.

"Axel," I try to say threateningly, but it comes out breathy and whiny.

"Hmm?" he hums against my skin.

"Stop, please," I say.

"Are you sure you want me to?" he asks against my ear.

"Yes," I say, and that stops him. He knows when to draw the line, and that's just another thing I appreciate about him.

"Alright," he groans, releasing my hands and lifting himself off of me.

"Thank you," I say cheerfully as I sit up. He ruffles my hair.

"Anything for you," he says. "That's why I'm going to the damn beach," he adds in a mumble. I grin widely at him.

"It'll be fun. Just wait." He nods, but it's not very convincing. He walks into his closet and I hear him talking to himself.

"Do I even _have _swimming trunks?" he asks himself exasperatedly. I roll my eyes and snort slightly.

"In that expansive closet? I'm sure you do," I mumble.

A few hours later, I have my bare feet buried in the warm sand while I bask the rest of me in the sun. I'm wearing a plain violet bikini and a pair of large sunglasses. My hair is piled on top of my head. I look over at Axel and smile. He's laying on his stomach with his eyes closed, a small smile on his lips. He managed to finally find a pair of black swimming trunks with flames on them this morning, but he may as well have worn regular shorts; I haven't gotten him in the water once, but I don't really mind. I've been having a great time.

Axel flips over onto his back and puts his hands behind his head. My eyes travel down his torso, stopping to stare at his defined abdominal muscles. I bite my lip as a wave of desire rolls through me.

"Like what you see?" he asks lowly, and I snap back to my senses. I smirk and toss a handful of sand onto those distracting muscles of his.

"You wish," I say.

"Oh, yes I do."

* * *

"Was this large of a fire really necessary?" I ask later that evening, taking a long drink from the beer bottle in my hand. I have my hair down and one of Axel's button up shirts wrapped around me. He grins, the flames dancing in his eyes.

"I may've gotten a little carried away," he replies, twirling a marshmallow in the fire. When it's perfectly toasted, he holds it out towards me, and I smush it between the graham crackers I'm holding. I bite into the s'more and groan.

"Mm! How do you toast it so perfectly? All of mine come out charred and terrible." It's true. I haven't been able to roast a marshmallow without scorching it, yet Axel's all have come out golden brown and amazing.

"It's an art," he says with a cocky grin. I roll my eyes.

"I'm sure."

"Hey, you have no room to talk, Miss-I-can't-properly-roast-a-marshmallow," he teases while finishing off his fifth beer.

"I could always set one on fire and attack you with it," I threaten with a glare. His smirk turns into a grin.

"Kinky," he says playfully while popping open another bottle. I down the rest of my fourth, trying to keep up with him. I pop open a fifth and take a sip.

"This really is the crappiest beer I've ever drank," I announce with a grimace. He grins, a buzzed look in his eyes.

"I know. I figured it'd be appropriate. Everyone always drinks crappy beer when they go to the beach, right?" I laugh and scoot closer to him. He drapes an arm around my shoulders. "So did you have a good birthday?" I look up at him with a mischievous expression and kiss his neck, emboldened by the alcohol in me.

"It's not over yet, is it?" I whisper in what I hope is a seductive voice. He swallows despite the fact there's nothing in his mouth. His fingers trace slow circles on my arm through the fabric of the shirt I'm wearing.

"That depends on whether or not you want it to be," he says measuredly. I grin, lean up, and kiss along the shell of his ear before trailing my kisses down the side of his face and back onto his neck. I nip gently at the soft skin and he shivers. "I think it's time to get you home," he says quietly.

"I think you're right," I whisper.

* * *

We crash onto his bed in a flurry of lips and teeth and tongues. He detaches his lips from mine and connects them to my neck. He makes his way to the spot where my neck and shoulder meet and bites down. A groan escapes my lips, and I angle my head to give him better access. His other hand skims down my side and latches onto my hip. He pulls away from my neck and rolls us over so I'm straddling him.

I sit back to catch my breath and look down at him. His eyes are glassy, his cheeks slightly pink, and his lips are parted slightly. I'm sure my expression is similar. I run my fingers softly down his torso, marveling at the sculpted feel of his muscles. He grins up at me before shifting to where he's sitting up too. He places one hand at my lower back and the other comes up to undo the buttons on the shirt. He undoes them with antagonizing slowness, looking into my eyes the whole time.

When all the buttons are undone, he brings both hands up to push the shirt off my shoulders. He tosses it to the side and runs his fingertips down my arms. I shiver, causing him to smirk. He leans his head down to kiss the exposed skin above my breasts just once. He brings his eyes back up to mine. Each of his hands come up to grab a different tie on my bikini top. He checks my reaction and, satisfied, pulls each tie loose. My breath catches just slightly as he tosses it to join the shirt on the floor. His breath catches as well, but I'm sure it's for a different reason. He hugs me to him to flip us back over.

He starts kissing my neck again as his hands knead and massage my breasts. Slowly, his mouth travels down to gently kiss and lick at one of my nipples. I moan and arch my body slightly. He smiles against my skin before repeating the action a few times on each of my nipples. I feel heat building up at the apex of my thighs and the rest of me feels like I'm on fire. I moan again and arch my body more. He gets the hint and continues his journey down my body. His tongue dips into my belly button and I shudder before threading my fingers through his crimson hair. At my bikini line, he sits up and hooks his fingers into the sides of my bikini bottoms and looks at me. I give him a slight nod, and he pulls them down my legs. He stares down at my body, drinking in every inch of me. A blush creeps onto my skin and I turn my head away, embarrassed. He leans over me, tilts my face to look at him, and kisses my lips softly.

"Don't be shy. You're beautiful," he whispers. I smile and pull him in for another kiss. His tongue licks at my bottom lip and I give him entrance. He massages his tongue against mine as his right hand draws patterns delicately against my side and stomach. He brings one of his legs up to nudge mine open, and I let him. His hand continues its patterns, but lower and lower. Soon enough, his fingers make contact with my clitoris and I jump slightly. He pulls away from my lips and looks at me. "Alright?" he asks.

"Y-Yeah, just surprised me," I mumble in response. He smiles. His fingers twirl around my clitoris, and I moan softly. Slowly, he dips his finger into my folds and grins.

"Someone's eager," he mumbles, and I force his lips back against mine, shyness seeping through me. A chuckle rumbles in his throat. He pushes one finger inside of me, and I'm pleasantly surprised at the lack of pain it causes. Slowly, he pumps that digit in and out of me before adding a second. This one causes just a tad of stinging, but it goes away almost immediately as pleasure takes over. Encouraged by the noise that comes from my mouth, Axel picks up the pace, pulling moan after moan from me. I grab onto the sheet tightly with one hand and his hair with the other as I feel my climax approaching. My breath starts coming out in pants and my eyes roll backwards. Right before it hits me, though, Axel pulls his fingers out of me. My eyes fly open to look at his with distaste as I groan in protest. He chuckles at my response. "Sorry," he says while getting off the bed to stand up, but I know he's not sorry at all.

He gets off the bed and drops his swimming trunks without a trace of shame or embarrassment. I quickly avert my eyes and my face heats up. The bed shifts as he climbs back on. His hands nudge my legs apart and he settles himself between them to lay across me. I feel his member against my belly and keep my eyes averted. His face is suddenly looming over mine and he rests it against his hand. His other hand comes up and strokes my hair out of my face.

"You okay?" he asks. I nod. "Are you really?" he asks immediately after.

"J-Just nervous," I answer quietly. He leans his face down and kisses each of my cheeks in turn.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I won't be mad," he says. I snap my eyes to lock with his.

"No, I want to. I'm just scared it's going to…to hurt," I say, hoping for reassurance. He nods.

"It's gonna hurt a little, but I'll go really gently and stop or pause whenever you want me to, okay?" he says. I know it's the best he can offer me, so I nod.

"Alright," I reply. He smiles down at me and plants a single kiss on my lips. He leans over me to the night stand. He pulls a condom out and leans back.

"Do you want to…get acquainted…before it's actually inside you," he asks. I can hear the laughter in his voice. I turn bright red and shake my head quickly. He releases a chuckle. "Fair enough. Maybe some other time." I hear the rip of the wrapper and there's a moment of silence as Axel rolls the condom onto his erection. He settles back between my legs and positions himself at my entrance. He locks eyes with me. "Ready?" he asks. I take a deep, calming breath and set my resolve.

"Yeah. Ready," I say with as much confidence I can muster even though I'm freaking out on the inside. He keeps his eyes trained on mine as he slowly pushes himself into me. I bite down on my lip and wince as I feel a sharp pain. He gets in a little farther when tears sting at the corners of my eyes and I turn my head away. He stops where he's at to give me a moment. He takes each of my hands and places them on his back one by one. I look up at him questioningly.

"What're you doing?" I ask.

"It's not fair for only one of us to be in pain. Feel free to tear my back up," he says loftily, and I smile at him. He returns the smile as he pushes himself the rest of the way inside me. I dig my nails into his back and scratch while I grit my teeth and screw my eyes shut.

After a longer pause to let me adjust to his size, Axel starts moving. The first few thrusts sting and are slightly painful, but give way to pleasure soon enough. A few thrusts later, I slacken my assault on his back and moan. Axel seems relieved and relaxes slightly, picking up his speed just a bit. I throw my head back, another moan escaping my lips. I tilt my hips up to meet his and he hits something deep inside me that makes me groan in ecstasy.

"Oh, God," I call out breathily. Axel chuckles.

"Close, but not quite," he says back huskily. I can't bring myself to glare at him since there's a fire building up rapidly in my lower belly. My breathing becomes quicker and I start grinding my hips up to his sporadically and desperately. I'm soon meeting him thrust for thrust, my fingers digging into his back again and my head thrown back. Soft groans start emitting from Axel. He clamps one of his hands down on my hip and his other comes up to cup my face. "Look at me," he grunts, and my eyes fly open in compliance. His eyes burn into mine and I feel myself start to quicken.

"A-Axel," I pant out. "I-I'm going to-" I'm cut off by my orgasm crashing through me. I scream out and pull Axel down to me. I clench my thighs tightly against his sides and feel them start to shake. My toes and fingertips go numb, stars erupt in my vision, and I feel like I'm about to die the most amazing death. He releases another groan before crashing his lips onto mine as his orgasm rocks his body as well. We ride out the aftershocks raking through our bodies together, our breaths coming out in pants and residual moans.

After what feels like an eternity, he props himself up on his elbows and kisses my lips softly.

"Good?" he asks, and I can't stop the giggle that escapes my lips. I can't bring myself to speak yet so I just nod at him with an obnoxious grin on my face. His answering grin is equally obnoxious. "Good." He pulls out of me gently, rolls over, and pulls me to his chest before covering us both up with the comforter. I trace patterns on his stomach absentmindedly while he twirls his fingers through my hair.

"Do you love me?" I whisper. To my surprise, he chuckles.

"It's taken you this long to ask?" he replies. I smile.

"Well do you?"

"I do," he says. "Do you love me?" I nod against his chest.

"Yeah…Yeah, I do."


	25. Chapter TwentyFour

Chapter Twenty-Four

Summer is really Axel's season. As July continues, we rarely remain in the house. He's constantly taking me to movies, plays, parties, shopping, and, because I insist, the beach. When we are at the house, most of our time is spent in his bedroom.

I'm laying on my stomach in post-coital bliss on his bed in late July. The balcony doors are thrown open, and a light breeze is giving me goose bumps. Axel's fingers are lightly running along my back. There's a palette of paint next to him, and my body is being used as his canvas. I turn my head to peek at him from the corner of my eye and can tell he's really focused on whatever he's painting on my skin. The breeze is gently ruffling his hair. I smile.

"Axel," I say softly, not wanting to startle him. Apparently, he's more present than I thought.

"Yeah, babe?" He replies without breaking his concentration. I smile a little wider.

"What're we going to do tonight?"

"Umm, I was thinking about us going to a party at Xigbar's place. Are you cool with that?"

"Sure. I'll obviously have to take a shower first," I mutter. I see a grin lift up the corners of his mouth. Suddenly, he reaches up and swipes a paint covered finger across my cheek. I jump, startled, before smiling.

"Then let's make that shower worthwhile and get you _really _dirty," he says. I sit up, dip my fingers in the paints and run them messily down his naked torso. A look of surprise crosses his face before he leaps on top of me. I shriek. "Axel! You're going to get wet paint on your sheets!" He shrugs, a grin still igniting his face.

"I have more," he answers, tapping his fingers along my arms and stomach. My smile returns, and I reach up to splatter paint all over his face. He grabs my wrists and pins them to the mattress. He kisses the wet paint on my cheek before peppering the rest of my face with paint and kisses. I playfully thrash for a minute, my hair flying and getting paint in it too, no doubt.

"Axel!" I laugh. "Not fair!"

"Exactly," he laughs back. He suddenly plants a kiss on my lips. It's not a playful kiss, though; it's full of passion. I reciprocate. After a few seconds, he pulls back, and his eyes are hazy.

"You know," I say suggestively. "You could always get me dirtier without the paint." He grins lazily.

"With pleasure," he answers before bringing his lips back down to mine.

* * *

I pad my way down the hall. I'm covered in paint and wrapped in an equally paint-splattered sheet. I'm almost to the bathroom when Renton comes out of another room. We both stop and stare at each other for a moment.

"H-Hi, Renton," I say awkwardly, a blush creeping onto my face.

"Iris," he says equally awkward.

"I…I'm just h-heading for the shower," I explain. He nods.

"That's probably for the best," he mumbles. I smile a little before quickly making my way past him.

"Iris," he suddenly calls when I'm almost to the bathroom. I turn just slightly toward him.

"Yeah?" I respond. He grins widely.

"I'm going to need to change the bedding in his room, aren't I?" he asks. My face turns tomato red.

"That'd p-probably be a good i-idea," I stammer before hurrying into the bathroom. I hear his soft laughter in the hallway, and I can't help but to giggle a little too.

* * *

"Everyone's going to know," I mumble angrily when we're on our way to Xigbar's a few hours later. Axel chuckles and slings an arm around my shoulders. Neither of us were able to get all of the paint out of our hair.

"Nah. They'll just think we were painting before we came…which is actually pretty accurate in multiple ways," Axel says, obviously enjoying his little joke. I roll my eyes.

"Oh, hee hee ha ha," I mutter sarcastically, crossing my arms moodily. Axel laughs again, and the car slowly comes to a stop.

"Lighten up and put a smile on that pretty face; we're here," he says. I groan while getting out of the car, nervously running a hand through my hair. I had hoped giving it curls and waves would hide the streaks of color in it, but I was very wrong. If anything, it made the paint stand out more.

"Ax! Good to see ya, dude," Xigbar calls as we walk into his house. I can tell from his face he's already a little tipsy.

"Hey, Xig. How's it going?" Axel replies while taking a beer from Xigbar's fridge.

"Awesome, man. Just awesome. I'm feeling good tonight," he says, grinning. He looks over at me suddenly, and it's like he's just noticing my presence. "Iris! How's this asshole treatin' ya?" he asks loudly while throwing an arm around my shoulders. Before I can answer, his hand takes hold of a piece of my hair. He glances from it to Axel's and grins. "Ah! Axel, you dog! Getting busy in that studio of yours, huh?" Axel grins and I pale. Xigbar laughs at my expression and pats my shoulder. "Good for you, kid. Help yourselves to anything you want. Have a good time! Bonfiring it up at eleven!" he finishes before walking away.

"I told you someone would notice," I mumble before snatching Axel's beer from him and taking a long drink. He frowns.

"That's mine," he says.

"It _was _yours," I reply with a wicked grin. He returns the expression before grabbing a new beer.

"I'll let you get away with it this time," he says.

"Oh, don't lie. You'll let me get away with it every time," I reply.

"And what makes you think that?" he asks.

"Because you loooooove me," I say in a sing-songy voice. He smiles widely, leans down, and kisses my cheek.

"Too true."

* * *

The music is too loud, and my head is too foggy. I look around the circle of people, firelight dancing across everyone's faces. For a number of the people surrounding the fire, though, the fire dancing in their eyes is the only light within them. It's almost surprising, the difference between the owners and servants. Everyone may be well dressed and groomed, but there's a definite distinction between the two groups. The faces of the servants are blank, expressionless. A few of them smile at the jokes being told, but none of those smiles reach their eyes. Their eyes are haunting. They all seem to be staring far off as if they're trying to figure out how their lives took such a dramatic turn. It's upsetting me. It's as though I'm surrounded by zombies; they're moving and breathing, but none of them are really alive. Their owners, though, they're all laughing and smiling and talking drunkenly. They don't have a care in the world, and it's like they can't see the dead young men and women sitting next to them. Maybe they can't.

My hands are shaking when I lock eyes with a girl across from me. Her dead eyes stare into my lit ones, and I see something flicker across them. I'm taken aback when I realize the emotion in them is hatred. This girl…this girl I don't even know is staring at me as though she'd like nothing more than to kill me, and I can't understand why.

"Axel," I whisper, tearing my eyes away from the girl and tugging his sleeve.

"Yeah?" he asks. He's smiling with a lazy, drunken look about him and I realize he can't see the zombies around him either. He's just like his friends. This might be what bothers me the most.

"I-I want to go home. Can we go home now? Please?" I ask, my voice catching. His smile falls and he looks concerned.

"Sure. You okay? You feel sick or something?" he asks while getting to his feet. I take his outstretched hand and let him pull me up. As I take a step away from the circle, I look back at the girl. She's still staring at me with that unwavering hatred, and I feel like crying.

"Very," I answer without looking away.

* * *

That night, every boy and girl I've met since being brought into the slave market visits me in my sleep.

_All of them are transparent and have the same expressionless, dead eyes as the people at the party. They all circle me, and their eyes change to that look of hatred._

_"This is all your fault," they hiss._

_ "Your family was too weak to prevent being overthrown."_

_ "You couldn't save them."_

_ "You couldn't save us."_

_ "You couldn't even save yourself." Their words ring in my ears. I try clasping my hands over my ears, but I can still hear them berating me._

_ "What a pathetic excuse of a royal family."_

_ "Look at you. You practically became his pet."_

_ "You're a disgrace." Tears fall from my eyes. They're too loud, too close; there's too many of them. I feel like I'm suffocating. _

_Suddenly, Roxas steps from the ghostly crowd. He's just as transparent as the rest, but the bloodied bruise around his neck is easy to see. His eyes are bulbous and there's a trickle of blood running from his mouth._

_ "Why didn't you stop me, Iris? You knew what I was doing. You were right there. You could've stopped me, but you just let me kill myself. Why would you do that, Iris?" he asks sadly._

_ "I thought that's what you wanted!" I cry hysterically._

_ "I just wanted someone to care," he says before fading away._

_ "I'm sorry!" I scream. All the other apparitions begin to fade as well. "I'm sorry!" I scream after them, but no one seems to hear me. "I'm sorry!" I scream louder, needing one, just one, of them to come back and forgive me. _

_None do. _


	26. Chapter TwentyFive

Chapter Twenty-Five

"You're gonna kill me, woman," Axel groans while I cuddle up to him.

"What better way to die?" I purr, kissing his shoulder.

"But I don't want to die on my birthday," he say playfully. I trail my kisses up his shoulder and onto his neck.

"Well this is your fault. You said you wanted to stay in bed all day for your birthday. I'm just giving you what you wanted," I whisper against his skin while trailing my fingers back down his abdomen. I circle them on his hipbones and his breath catches. He groans loudly.

"Can't I even have a break?" he asks, but I know he doesn't really mind based on the tent he's pitching with the sheets. I run my nose along his jaw and pretend to ponder the question as my fingers trace up and down his arousal lightly.

"Hmm…maybe after this round," I say with a smile.

"Happy birthday to me," he sighs before flipping on top of me.

* * *

Despite my…er…gift to Axel for his birthday, I've been a bit withdrawn. Don't get me wrong; we're as close as ever. I'm just cranky now. Ever since that party we went to, I've been getting moodier and moodier each day. The ghostly slaves are still visiting my dreams every night, but they're growing in numbers, and their words are getting louder. I've been trying to just not sleep, but that's not helping very much either.

I lay awake at night, looking at Axel's sleeping face. He's so peaceful, so calm, so…uncaring. It's like he can't see the world around him. Or…maybe he does, but doesn't care. He's above it; it doesn't directly affect him any, so why should he care? And why does it bother me so much that he doesn't? I've known from the beginning that the slave market doesn't make him bat an eye; people don't just go buy servants if they're against the business. So why do I find his apathy so upsetting?

I keep replaying the fall of my family while I'm awake, too. Could it have been different? Could I have fought back? What if I had brought my bow and quiver of arrows into my brother's room that night? What if Lars had been there to help us? Could I have changed anything? Could any of this have been prevented? Is it really my fault like the ghosts are telling me?

I think it is.

* * *

"You look tired," Axel says over breakfast one day while looking at me over the top of his folded newspaper. I know he's right. I have dark circles under my bloodshot eyes and my skin has gone pasty. I narrow my eyes at him. _He's just now noticing?_

"Thank you, Sherlock," I mumble. His eyebrows shoot up.

"Well someone's moody," he replies. I grit my teeth in annoyance. "Are you not sleeping well?" he asks. There's a note of concern in his voice, so I breathe out a sigh.

"No, I'm not. I'm having bad dreams," I answer. He furrows his brow.

"I'll talk to Zexion. See if he can give you something for dreamless sleep or something like that."

"I need heavy narcotics," I say bitterly. He grins, thinking I'm joking. I scowl. I'm so tired right now I could breathe fire. I want to wipe that stupid grin off his face. At my expression, he ducks back behind his newspaper and allows it to unfold, revealing a page I hadn't originally seen.

I start and drop my spoon into my bowl with a clatter. The page has a large picture of a man's face on it…a face that greatly resembles mine. I launch myself across the table and snatch the paper from Axel's unsuspecting hands.

"What the-" he says in shock.

"Shh," I shush him, my tired eyes frantically scanning the page.

_King Weatherly, a short two months away from his second anniversary at the throne, has finally made a decision regarding the economic state of his kingdom. His majesty says…_

I don't read past that first sentence, instead focusing on the first two words. _King Weatherly. King Weatherly? King Weatherly? _My mind is reeling, and my temper is reaching a dangerous level. I look up from the picture and face it towards Axel.

"What the hell is this?" I whisper lowly. He glances at the page and pales. I'm enraged when he doesn't say anything. "Axel. What the _hell _is this?" I nearly shout.

"Iris, I know this looks bad, but-"

"Bad? Bad, Axel? That's the adjective you go for? Bad describes my hair right now. This isn't bad, Axel. This is disastrous!"

"I know, but-"

"You knew, didn't you?" I glare at him. He doesn't answer and looks away. "You _did, _didn't you? My brother has taken the throne, and you didn't say anything? You listened to me talk and cry about him, and you never once thought to _say _anything? You let me believe he was dead! Did you just think I wouldn't find out eventually?" I'm standing, my hands on the table. My eyes are shooting daggers into Axel's guilty face.

"I…I hoped you wouldn't," he mutters. I stare at him in shock, unable to compute what I'm hearing. Words don't come to me immediately, but when they finally do, it's as though all hell has broken loose.

"You bastard!" I shriek. I grab the bowl in front of me and throw it hard across the room. It shatters against the wall in a satisfying crash. I grab his plate and repeat the process. "You absolute bastard!" The fruit bowl smashes in an explosion of bright colors, but all I'm seeing is red. "You disgusting, vile, pathetic excuse of a man!" I scream as a few more dishes break. Axel is up now and coming around the table at me. The look in his eyes is a mixture of fear and anger, and I suddenly can't stand him. My palm makes contact with his cheek with a sickening smacking sound, but it's the most glorious thing I've ever heard at the moment. He steps back, shock all over his reddening face.

"Iris, I-" he starts, reaching for me. I hit him across the other cheek.

"No! Don't you _dare _touch me. You don't get to do this! You can't know something like this for so long and expect to just gloss over it when it's unveiled. You disgust me, Axel!" I shout in his face before running from the room. I'm halfway up the stairs when I hear his voice behind me.

"Iris, wait!" he shouts, and I can't tell if he's desperate or finally angry. I don't care. In the hallway, I knock down an elaborate vase and smile as it breaks into a million pieces. "Iris!" Axel shouts again, and I know this time; he's definitely angry. I'm breaking a number of his rules, after all.

I hurry into my bedroom and slam the door as he steps over the pieces of the vase. His hands slam against my door just as I lock it, and he growls at his denied entry.

"Iris, open the fucking door!"

"Go away!" I shout from the other side.

"Open this damn door now!" His fist is slamming against the wood, but I know he won't go so far as to break it down. I slam my fist against the door too, imitating him.

"Go. To. Hell!" I scream, enunciating each word with hits to the door.

"Only if you go first!" He shouts in response, and I hear him turn and start walking away. Hot, angry tears cascade down my face.

"I'm already there!"


	27. Chapter TwentySix

Chapter Twenty-Six

Axel's Point-of-View

"Fuck!" I shout while punching my fist into a wall in my bedroom. I shake my hand out to alleviate the stinging. I pace the room, dragging my hands through my hair. I growl angrily. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" I shout to the empty room. Renton will just tell me he told me so. I snort. _Well…he did._ I need someone who will be on my side. I pull my phone out of my pocket and scroll through my contacts. _No. No. Oh, hell no. No. No. No. Why do I even still have his number? No. No. Who is that? _Finally, I settle on Zexion. I don't have much of a choice, though; he's the last person in my phone. The phone rings twice before he picks up.

"Hello?" he answers.

"Zex. Hey. I need you to come get me and take me somewhere to get really, really drunk," I say seriously.

"Um… how drunk are we talking?" he asks.

"So drunk I might drown in a puddle of my own vomit by the end of the day."

"Alright, so this is bad. I'll be over in twenty minutes. Is Iris coming?" I snort derisively into the phone and hang up.

In the hallway, Iris's door is still shut. Renton has already cleaned up the broken vase. I know the mess in the dining room is probably already cleaned up too. I head downstairs and find Renton in the living room, dusting.

"Hey, Renton, I'm going out with Zexion. Do me a favor and keep an eye on Iris, alright?" I say, hoping more than anything he keeps his witty remarks to himself.

"Of course, sir," he replies, answering my prayers.

"Thank you," I say. I'm about to walk out the door to wait for Zexion at the gate when Renton speaks up again.

"Sir, if I may-" he starts.

"No, you may not," I interrupt harshly before storming out the door.

* * *

"Wait a minute. So you're telling me she never actually knew what happened, and you never told her? I thought she knew the whole time. Why didn't you tell her?" Zexion hisses. _So much for someone being on my side. _I roll my eyes and down another shot. The room is comfortably blurred.

"I don't know, Zex. I thought it might be better for her to not know. That was she could, like, move on or something," I mumble. The look in Zexion's eyes is not comforting.

"Are you stupid, Axel?" he asks, and I take a drink of my beer.

"Yes, Zex, I am. I am a stupid man. I'm also a bastard and disgusting and vile and a pathetic excuse of a person, as Iris informed me this morning. Now how do I fix this?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I've never been in this type of situation. I don't really think there _is _a way to fix it. From what you've told me, she's royally pissed." I grin.

"Good pun."

"Oh, shut up," he hisses. I scoot closer to Zexion and throw my arm around his shoulders.

"Zex, come on, man. I need advice! I need your advice. You're the only friend I have that gives me good advice. I need your good friend advice, Zex!" I say, basically repeating the same sentence over and over. He removes my arm from his shoulder, and I grin sloppily.

"I can't help you here, Axel. You got yourself into this; you can get yourself out," he says. The smile doesn't leave my face. I'm probably too drunk to really understand what's happening.

"Well, then, if that's how you're gonna be," I start before turning to the bartender. "Hey, hit me again!" Moments later, I down another shot…and another…and another…

* * *

"Iris!" I call in a sing-song voice while knocking on her door. "Iris, babe, let's talk." I giggle and sink down onto the floor, still smacking my hand against the door. "Don't do this to me, Iris. I love you!" Her door swings open violently. I look up and grin, but stay on the floor. "Hey, babe!" She glares down at me.

"It is one in the morning, Axel. What the hell are you doing? Are you drunk?" she asks. I touch my finger to my nose with a stupid grin to signal yes.

"Yes, I am! I am very, very drunk. You, though, you are very, very pretty!" She scowls.

"Get up," she orders. Shakily, I get onto my feet, but stumble forward. She catches my arm and manages to keep me up. I look into her eyes and just keep smiling. After a moment, her eyes soften just slightly and she sighs. She pulls my arm over her shoulders. "Come on. Let's get you to bed," she says quietly before leading me down the hall. It's a long and tedious task, but she eventually gets me to my door, kicks it open, and leads me to the bed. She drops my arm and I stagger back onto the bed with a sigh. I sit up and try to grab her wrist to make her lay with me, but she steps back. I pout at her dramatically.

"Babe," I whine. She shakes her head.

"Just lay back and go to sleep, Axel," she says in a no-nonsense tone of voice. I flop back down. I hear her start heading back to the door. "You're right, you know," I call softly.

"What?" she asks testily, stopping at the door.

"You're right. I suck. I suck in every conceivable way," I mutter. She sighs and walks back over. She looks down at me and runs a hand through my hair. The gesture makes me feel worse about everything. Even now, after finding out I lied to her and everything she thought she knew is wrong, she manages to be compassionate. I close my eyes, unable to look at her.

"You don't suck. You're selfish and inconsiderate and many other things, but you don't completely suck. Now go to sleep," she says. Her hand disappears from my hair and she leaves.

There are a few blissful moments when I wake up in the morning where I don't remember anything that happened. It all comes crashing back to me along with the worse migraine I've ever had soon enough, though. I groan and pull the pillow over my head. I don't know if I'm trying to block out the light or suffocate myself.

Maybe both.


	28. Chapter TwentySeven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I'm still furious with Axel in the morning, but I know I need to act like an adult and talk to him. I eat breakfast by myself, knowing he'll be sleeping in with one hell of a hangover. After I eat, I take my dishes into the kitchen for Renton. He looks at me sheepishly.

"Iris, I hope I didn't upset you by not tell you the truth as well. You see, I was-"

"Renton, I understand. You work for Axel. It's practically part of your job description to keep his secrets. I promise I have no ill feelings towards you," I interrupt with a smile. He smiles back and nods. I hear a chair in the dining room move, and a knot forms in my stomach. I grimace and head back to the dining room. It's now or never.

His eyes jump up to me from where he's sitting, and he looks surprised when I sit down across from him. I fold my hands in front of me and fix him with a steely gaze.

"Good morning," I say clearly.

"M-Morning," he stutters.

"Obviously, we have a few things to talk about, don't we?" I ask rhetorically. He nods, but doesn't say anything, allowing me to direct this conversation. I sigh. "Well, I suppose I'll just start with the most basic question. Why did you keep this from me, Axel?" I ask. I can't keep the slight quiver out of my voice, and I mentally admonish myself for it. To my surprise, Axel runs his hands through his hair and swears under his breath.

"What do you want me to say, Iris? Nothing I tell you is going to be what you want to hear," he says irritably. I arch an eyebrow at him.

"I want the truth, Axel. I think I deserve that much, don't you?" He drops his hands from his hair and stares at me for a moment.

"I…I don't know. I thought it might be better if you didn't know," he says. Anger coils in my stomach, but I keep my calm.

"For who exactly? For me or for you?" I ask evenly.

"Both!" he says adamantly. "If you didn't know, you could move on from your past and start a life with me. I figured if you knew, you'd want to leave and try to do something about it."

"And you thought I'd never find out?"

"Like I said yesterday, I hoped." I purse my lips.

"Any other reasons?" I ask, trying to keep my voice measured. He thinks for a moment.

"I guess I just didn't want to cause you anymore pain. You've already been through so much. I knew it'd hurt more if you knew the truth," he mumbles. I pause, processing this information.

"You're not forgiven, and I don't want you to think you are, but what exactly did happen? Obviously, you know more about what really happened than I do," I mumble angrily. He winces.

"The story goes that your brother had your parents killed and you and your sister sold into the slave market so he could take over the throne without anyone interfering," Axel explains. I frown.

"And then he enacted all these terrible laws and policies?" I ask. Axel nods. My frown deepens and I shake my head. "I…That doesn't sound right," I mumble. "He always told me he didn't want to rule. I can't see him doing all those things…"

"Maybe you didn't know him as well as you thought," Axel murmurs. I snap my eyes back up to him in a cold glare.

"I'm sorry? I didn't know him well? He's my _brother_, Axel! Quite frankly, you've never even met him, so you don't know anything about him. I grew up with him, for God's sake," I hiss, losing control of my calm for a moment.

"Well, the standing evidence really piles against him," Axel says back vehemently. I glare at him while my mind churns. While Axel is right about that, I still feel in my gut like something's wrong.

"I need to go see him," I say a moment later. Axel's eyebrows shoot up and he looks ready to laugh.

"I don't think so," he says. There's definitely laughter in his voice. My eyes narrow.

"Let me rephrase that: I _am_ going to go see him," I say defiantly.

"Like hell you are," he responds. I stand up, my chair falling backwards.

"He's my brother, and there is something fishy about all of this! I need to know what's going on," I say, trying to intimidate him with my gaze. He stands up too, towering over me. I don't break.

"You want to know what's going on? Look at the world around you, Iris. Look at the facts. Your brother sold you and your sister to get you out of the way. He had your parents killed. You go see him, and he'll probably have you killed too!"

"If he did all that, then why did he try to hide me? Where was my sister during everything? She sure as hell wasn't in that car or with the breakers or in Kelvin's shop. Why would those men have hit him if he had hired them to kill our parents? None of it adds up!" I shout, slamming my fist on the table.

"I don't have all the answers, Iris," Axel says with a sigh, but his eyes say he's not giving in.

"I need all the answers," I say, holding my ground as well. He glares at me.

"Well that's too bad since you're not going to get them." I grit my teeth, fighting the urge to throw another dish.

"And how exactly do you intend to prevent me from leaving?" I ask. He actually grins at this and laughs coldly.

"Do we need a replay of your first night here, Iris?" I sneer and groan angrily. I reach for a dish, but his hand locks around my wrist. "I don't think so," he hisses while squeezing my wrist slightly. I snatch it back from him before storming out of the room. In the foyer, I can't help it as my hand pushes down another vase. As it smashes, I hear Axel growl. "Seriously?" he shouts. I'm a few steps up the stairs when he crashes through the dining room door.

"You have too many vases anyway," I say simply and hurry up the rest of the stairs. I run into my room, but Axel's too fast this time. Before I can lock it, he's slammed my door open and advances on me quickly. I lose my resolve and let him back me into a wall. I swing a hand out to hit him, but he grabs both my wrists and pins them to the wall on either side of my head. He presses his body against mine to keep me from kicking out at him.

"Two vases and even more dishes? What is your problem?" he forces out from gritted teeth. The fire in his eyes isn't warm and passionate now; it's dangerous. I glare up at him, trying to hide my fear.

"What're you going to do? Hit me? Treat me like the slave I am?" I spit out. He looks like he really would like to. He closes his eyes tightly and takes a deep breath before opening them back up. He looks calmer, but the fire in his eyes is still fierce.

"Iris…please… try to understand. I don't want to see you get hurt," he says softly. His grip on my wrists and pressure on my body slacken. He's looking at me resolutely still, but there's a hint of desperation in his expression now.

"Forcing me to stay here will hurt me the same amount, just in a different way, Axel. I need to talk to him. I need to find out the truth. I need to know that there's nothing I can do before I just throw in the towel. If you only ever do one thing for me again, Axel, do this," I say quietly, trying with all my might to get him to concede. He searches my eyes for a moment.

"I don't want to lose you," he whispers, dropping my wrists, but keeping his hands against the wall. I bring my hands up to touch his face.

"Axel…if you force me to stay, losing me will be guaranteed," I whisper back, stroking his cheeks. He leans into one of my hands and closes his eyes. Moments later, he drops his face to my shoulder, and I know I've won.


	29. Chapter TwentyEight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Axel agrees to let me go see my brother on the condition he goes with me. Not having a problem with this suggestion, I immediately agree. We set off in the morning, having to take the train to get to Radiant Gardens. I'm shocked when we get off the train. If I thought Traverse Town was a mess, it's nothing compared to what's become of Radiant Gardens. It's definitely not very radiant anymore. The buildings and homes are all dilapidated, the streets are dirty, and none of the passerby will look up at anyone else. There are people of all ages in the streets, sleeping, wearing rags, begging for change. I furrow my brow, very upset.

"At the first sign of things getting sour, we leave," Axel mutters. I smile weakly up at him, feigning nonchalance, and nod. On the inside, I'm freaking out. I haven't actually thought about what I want to say or what I should do. I'm going in blind.

A shiver runs down my spine as we reach the gates to the castle. A guard asks us our business there, and I don't recognize him. _Of course you don't. All the guards you knew are dead. _I shiver again and let Axel do the talking, per our agreement.

"We need to speak with the king, if his majesty will allow."

"Pertaining?" the guard asks. Axel's eyes slide to me and the guard's follow.

"Tell him it's a … family matter," Axel drawls. Comprehension dawns on the guard's face momentarily.

"Of course. I'll return shortly with his answer," he says, not taking his eyes from me before turning to walk into the castle. I fiddle nervously with the edges of my sleeves.

"You okay?" Axel asks. I nod.

"Nervous. I haven't thought of what I'm going to say," I explain.

"We could always turn around and leave right now," Axel suggests lightly, and I glare at him.

"Not happening," I say. He goes silent. It feels like a century before the guard comes back. Even Axel had started to get impatient. The guard unlocks the gate.

"His majesty will see you. Follow me, please," he says, beckoning us forward. I gulp nervously and follow behind him. Looking at the immaculate lawn makes my stomach clench. The images of the mangled guards strewn about causes me to pale. We pass into the main foyer, and my eyes slide towards the living room. There are no signs of it, but I can still see my parents' bodies, the blood splattered on the wall. My breath catches, and my hands start shaking.

As we continue through the castle, I try to steel myself for whatever's about to happen, but I can't seem to stop the quivering in my legs as we stop outside the main throne room.

"It'll be fine," Axel says, but I can't tell if he's try to reassure me or himself. The guard throws the double doors open and steps aside to grant us entry. Hesitantly, I walk into the room with Axel, and the doors shut behind us momentarily. I clench my fists tightly and head deeper into the room at a quick pace, keeping my eyes trained forward. I stop at the bottom of the steps leading up to the throne, Axel just a few feet behind me, and lift my eyes to my brother.

My heart skips, my stomach drops, and I want to cry. He looks exactly as I remember, his sandy hair still in that stupid half-mullet-half-mohawk style. His eyes still bright blue and swimming with an expression I'm sure mirrors mine. We have the same bone structure, and it always gave him a bit of a feminine looking face. After staring at one another for a moment, he finally breaks the silence.

"I-Iris," he mutters softly. It's like he can't believe his eyes.

"Demyx," I whisper. I try for a smile. "Me-Me." The nickname causes him to start slightly, and he looks pained.

"Why did you come here, Iris?" he asks, his voice quivery.

"I need answers," I say strongly. "I've been told that you had our parents killed and had me and Lars kidnapped so you could take over the throne. People say you're supporting all these terrible policies and laws." My voice is gaining even more strength as the ridiculousness of the situation sets in. I grin slightly. "None of that can be true, right? You must've gotten a burst of courage and fought off those attackers, right? You took over because no one else was around to. You haven't done any of those things people are saying," I say. He's looking at me stonily, though. He's not speaking or telling me how right I am. He's just staring at me, his eyes swimming with emotions I can't place. "Me-Me? I'm right, aren't I? Y-You didn't get rid of all of use to get to the throne…right?" I ask, silently begging for him to answer me with that goofy grin of his. He doesn't, and fear starts coiling in me. "Demyx! Please, answer me!" I say loudly, starting to panic.

"Iris," he starts out softly. "You shouldn't have-"

"Answer me, Demyx! You answer me right now!" I shout. A guard steps forward, but he dismisses them with a raised hand.

"You don't know what it was like," he dead-pans. "You don't know what it was like for me, the only male child in the family to be denied the throne. I mean, it's supposed to go to the firstborn son, but that's not how mom and dad saw it. No, they didn't leave it to their firstborn son or even their firstborn child; they planned to have _you _inherit the kingdom. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have what should be your birthright given to your baby sister?" He finishes with a glare at me. There's something in his voice and expression, though…something _wrong_.

"Demyx," I start carefully. "You never wanted to rule. You said so yourself."

"And what else was I supposed to say? If I had said anything at all, it would've been whiny. Everyone in the family and the surrounding villages thought you ruling the kingdom after mom and dad seemed like a great idea. Sweet, gentle, diplomatic, strong-willed Iris. Everything about you screamed ideal ruler, and everyone knew it. Sometimes, you have to do whatever it takes to get what's yours," he says in the same tone as before.

"No," I say, narrowing my eyes. "No, you tried to hide me that night. You tried to keep me safe."

"Some people are good at acting, Iris," he says while fixing me with a very intense stare.

"Are you acting right now, Demyx?" I whisper with a glare. He holds my gaze a moment longer before signaling to the guards.

"Remove them," he orders. I'm shocked; this is not supposed to be happening. I lunge up the steps to get to my brother and grab onto his hand.

"Demyx," I whisper quickly, intently. "What's really happening, Demyx? I know you can't be behind all this, so tell me who is. Let me help you, Me-Me." A guard rips me from him, but I keep my eyes on his, searching. I find nothing.

"You don't know the first thing about me," he answers apathetically. Rage courses through my veins.

"This is _my _kingdom, Demyx! Do you hear me? It's mine, and you can be damn sure I _will _be on that throne!" I shout, fighting against the guard holding me. The guards almost have me and Axel out of the room when something strikes me. "Where's Lars, Demyx? Demyx, where's Larxene?" I yell. He bites his bottom lip, but doesn't answer me.

* * *

"Well, that went better than I thought it would," Axel grumbles. "You're alive." I'm not paying attention to him, though. I'm glaring down into my beef stew as though it holds the answers I'm looking for. We're sitting at a little café in town for a bite to eat before getting back on the train. My mind is too frazzled to eat, though.

"Something's not right," I say quietly.

"What? Your stew not hot enough?" Axel asks. I glare up at him.

"It's not the stew. I'm talking about Demyx," I hiss. Axel sighs.

"Iris, you came in, heard him confirm everything I told you. It's time to let it go."

"But that's the thing, Axel; he didn't confirm anything. He never once said that yes, he had our parents killed. He talked circles around my actual questions. And I don't know if you noticed, but everything he said seemed very…"

"Forced?" he offers, and I nod.

"Yeah, forced. Rehearsed, even," I mumble.

"I noticed," Axel says grumpily.

"Someone else is behind all of this. Someone's controlling him to run the kingdom themselves… Someone's…" I falter, trying to find the words. The waitress, a dumpy little old woman comes over to fill up my water glass even though I've barely touched it.

"Bullying him?" the waitress suggests. I snap my eyes up to hers. Her familiar face fixes me with a significant stare before walking away.

"Bullying him," I repeat, surprised how correct the phrase feels. I furrow my eyebrows. I don't want to think about this anymore. _No, _the voice in my head starts. _You just don't want to think about the possibilities behind it._

The voice is right; I really don't.


	30. Chapter TwentyNine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

All the bravado I had during the confrontation with my brother has left me, and I don't want to accept what's happened. I try to keep my mind off of it by focusing my attention on other things: music, painting, cooking, anything besides thinking.

I'm laying against Axel's chest, panting. His fingers are running through my hair, and he has that smile on his face he always gets after an orgasm. I haven't exactly forgiven him yet, but it turns out sex is a good distraction from my thoughts. I'm pretty sure Axel thinks I've moved on from the entire situation, and part of me feels bad for letting him think that, but another part of me just thinks it's easier to let him believe what he wants.

"I'm glad to see you're handling everything so well," he says affectionately. I tighten my hold around his torso and guilt surges through me.

"Yeah," I mumble.

"Now that that's all over, we can move on and just let everything go back to normal," he continues, sounding so sure of himself.

"Mhm." I wish he'd stop talking.

"Love you," he says while planting a kiss on the top of my head.

"You too," I murmur. Thankfully, he's done talking.

* * *

_"Me-Me, you have to stop letting Larxene push you around," I say while pressing a cloth to Demyx's bleeding nose._

_ "It was an accident. She didn't mean to knock me down," he mumbles while wiping the blood off his skinned knee. I scoff._

_ "She's fifteen, Demyx. I'm pretty sure she knew better than to push you while you were standing at the top of the stairs."_

_ "I don't want to be a tattle-tale and get her in trouble, though," he whimpers. I sigh._

_ "Larxene, stop it," I say evenly when I walk in to see her slam Demyx up against the wall. She glares over at me._

_ "He deserves it this time," she hisses. I roll my eyes._

_ "I'm sure. What'd he do?"_

_ "He called me stupid," she answers. I sigh._

_ "You are eighteen-years-old, Lars; he's thirteen. You're supposed to be the mature one here."_

_ "Oh, that's rich coming from you, the twelve-year-old diplomat. The future ruler of the kingdom," she spats. She lets go of Demyx and starts stalking towards me. She leans down to glare into my face. "God, I want to hit you," she says lowly, directing her anger at me._

_ "We both know you're not going to, Larxene," I say matter-of-factly. It's true, too. She knows if she hits me, I'll go straight to mom and dad, unlike Demyx. She glares at me for a minute longer before turning on her heel and walking from the room._

_"Demyx, you are nineteen-years-old! Stop letting her bully you!" I shout as I hand him a bag of frozen peas to put against his black eye. It's September, one month before everything happens. He winces, but smiles._

_ "Aw, it's not a big deal, Iris. If you fight fire with fire, you only get a bigger fire," he says. I sigh._

_ "You'd make such a better future ruler than I would if you kept that attitude and grew a spine," I mumble. He grins._

_ "Nah, you're the perfect choice. Perfect amount of bitchiness and logical thinking," he teases. I slap his arm lightly._

_ "Shut up. At least it's not Larxene getting the throne," I say. His grin widens._

_ "Thank goodness for that."_

_ I glance down the hall to our sister's closed door. _

"_Where's Lars?" I ask. He looks to her door as well before shrugging._

_"Where's Lars, Demyx? Demyx, where's Larxene?" I yell. He bites his bottom lip, but doesn't answer me._

* * *

Axel shakes me awake. There's a thin layer of cold sweat on my skin, and my heart is beating rapidly.

"Hey, you're moaning in your sleep; not the sexy moaning, though," Axel says softly with a grin. I groan and sit up, gently pushing him aside. I put my head in my hands. He wraps an arm around me. "It's alright. It was just a dream." I groan again, loudly this time.

"No, it wasn't. It wasn't just a dream," I whisper, and I want to cry.

"What do you mean," he asks.

"Demyx didn't hire those guys. Larxene did, and that's why she wasn't around that night. She must've turned the alarm off to let them get in," I mumble.

"I'm not following," Axel says, and I growl, frustrated.

"Larxene is ruling the kingdom by controlling Demyx," I say loudly.

"Why would she do that? Why wouldn't she just get rid of Demyx as well and rule it herself?" he asks, and I rub my temples. I hadn't thought of that.

"Keep a good face, I guess. She always preferred to keep her sadistic side hidden and present a nice face to everyone.

"So why wouldn't your brother just take her down? He looks like he could hold his own."

"He's a pacifist. I wouldn't doubt Larxene hired her own guards. Bribed them into siding with her, probably," I say while pinching the bridge of my nose. This is giving me a headache.

"I don't know, babe. It kinda sounds like you're reaching to me. Let's just go back to sleep," Axel says while laying back down. I don't, though.

"I have to do something," I whisper to myself.

"Yeah, you have to sleep," Axel says playfully, sitting back up to wrap his arms around me in an attempt to pull me down. I shrug him off violently.

"Axel! Stop!" I growl, growing irritated.

"Can't you just let it go, Iris? It's not like it really matters," Axel whines.

"Doesn't matter? Axel, my sister is controlling my brother to ruin the kingdom, and it doesn't matter?" I'm getting angry.

"You don't _know _if that's what's really going on," he growls, obviously getting angry along with me.

"I'm pretty sure it is, but even if it's not, I need to do something to get the throne back and fix all the crappy things that have happened!"

"There's nothing you can do!" Axel snaps. I swivel around to glare at him.

"So you expect me to just sit back and watch what should be _my _kingdom crumble apart?"

"Yes! It's not like it's doing anything to you directly. You're here. You have a home and food and clothes-"

"-Yeah, because I was bought as a slave!" I hiss. He throws his hands up.

"So what? It's not like I've ever treated you like one!"

"That's not the point, Axel! I could very well fix everything that's happened, and you're telling me not to?" I shout incredulously.

"I'm telling you there is nothing you can do!" He shouts back. I glower at him and get out of his bed. A growl rumbles in his chest. "Where are you going?"

"My bed. I don't want to share a bed with someone so pessimistic," I say lowly as I walk across the room to the door.

"I'm not being pessimistic! I'm telling you the truth!"

"Well, I'm not willing to accept it as the _truth _until I actually try to do something." I walk out of the room, still able to feel Axel's hot glare burning into the back of my head.


	31. Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

We're not sleeping in the same bed. Hell, we're rarely in the same room. We're not touching or making love. We're not even talking. More or less, we're pretending the other doesn't exist.

It's been this way for almost a month, and I'm starting to miss him. I'm starting to miss the tender look in his eyes when he looks at me. I'm starting to miss his soft lips against mine and the way he radiates warmth. I'm starting to miss the way his arms feel around me, his laughter, his goofy grin, his wit. I'm starting to miss him so badly, and it's excruciating since we're in the same house. I don't know what to do about it, though. I can't just let everything go like he wants, and he's not willing to let me try to fix the situation at hand. He's not going to let me leave, and there's no way for me to just walk out, as has already been proven. We're at an impasse.

It gets to be too much one sleepless night. I'm in my bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about him. There's an ache in my stomach, and I recognize it as longing. I try to ignore it, but it just becomes all-consuming, and I know I have to do something about it. With a defeated growl, I throw the covers off of me and leave my room. I creep into his, but find it empty. I furrow my eyebrows and head downstairs. I peak down the hallway and see a light coming from underneath his office door. I frown, wondering why he's up so late.

Quietly, I walk down the hallway and gently push the door open. He's bent low over the papers on his desk, his hands clutching either side of his head. He doesn't hear me enter or notice as I cross the room. He finally looks up when I walking around his desk towards him. He frowns and sits back, turning his chair to face me.

"Iris, what-" He starts, but I press my fingers to his lips to silence him. I climb into his chair and straddle his lap. Burying my face in the crook of his neck, I wrap my arms around his middle and hug him tightly. After a moment of stunned silence, his arms snake around me just as tightly.

"I miss you," I mumble against his neck.

"I miss you too," he answers quietly.

"I want you to know that I want things between us to go back to normal. I want to continue on with the life we've been living, but-"

"-Let's not talk about this right now," he says, effectively cutting me off. I lean back to frown at him.

"Axel, we need to talk about this," I say intently.

"And we will…later. I just want to enjoy this moment," he replies just as intently.

"Okay," I say with a nod, resigning to at least give him that.

* * *

I don't know how it happened, but we ended up having sex that night. I hadn't intended to wind up back in his bed so quickly, but something just came over us. I suppose that's what happens when you go a month without even touching the person you love.

I wake up in his arms, his body heat making me uncomfortable. I shift out of his grasp and get out of bed. I pull on his boxers and shirt, give him a kiss on the cheek, and head downstairs for breakfast.

In the kitchen, Renton smiles at me and I return the gesture while pouring a bowl of cereal.

"Iris, a letter arrived in the post for you this morning," Renton tells me, grabbing an envelope off of the counter. I frown.

"A letter? From whom?" I ask, taking the letter from him. He shrugs and I can see why; there's no return address. "Thanks, Renton," I say and head into the dining room. I sit down and take a few bites of my cereal, staring at the envelope. I flip it over multiple times, looking for some hint of the sender, but it's a completely unremarkable envelope. Finally, I slit it open and pull out a single sheet of paper. I don't recognize the handwriting, and am beginning to think there's been some mistake until I read it:

_Dear Princess,_

_I'm overstepping my boundaries by writing to you, and I'd probably pay with my life if this letter fell into the wrong hands. I'm tired of standing by, though, and if I'm going to risk my life for something, it needs to be something I believe in. _

_I have information I believe you'll find very interesting and possibly helpful. If you'd like to find out what, please meet me at the café on Main Street in Twilight Town on the 22__nd__ of September at 3:00 p.m. I feel fairly certain you'll recognize me immediately, so I won't bother describing myself in here. I hope you'll come._

It's unsigned, but there's a post script.

_Remember, you still have friends in high places._

I turn the letter over to make sure there's nothing else written and re-read the letter many times over. I have no idea who sent this or what they could possibly tell me, but a feeling in my gut tells me I need to find out.

Axel pulls me from my musings by entering the dining room. He kisses my cheek with a grin before sitting down opposite me.

"What's that?" he asks, motioning to the paper in my hands. I sigh, knowing this is unavoidable, so I hand it to him. His eyes scan it quickly, his expression blank. He sets it down when he's done. "Absolutely not," he says resolutely.

"What?" I ask loudly.

"There's no way. It's obviously a trap."

"A trap? Axel, come off it! They want to meet me in a public place in the middle of the day in the nicest town around. How can it possibly be a trap?" He bites his lip, obviously realizing I've made a good point.

"I-I don't know, but I don't like it," he says, and he almost sounds childish. I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Axel, I just want to hear what this person has to say. You'd obviously be coming with me, so what's there to worry about?" I ask, forcing my voice to remain calm.

"Iris," he whines.

"Axel, please," I say, bringing my eyes up to stare into his pleadingly. He stares back, and I watch his gaze soften as his resolve falters. He sighs.

"Fine," he relents. I smile, reach across the table, and place a hand on his.

"Thank you," I say quietly.


	32. Chapter ThirtyOne

Chapter Thirty-One

Axel is in a sour mood for the duration of the train ride to Twilight Town on the 22nd of September, but he keeps an arm around my shoulder. I take this as a good sign.

"Are you mad at me?" I ask, looking up at him. He doesn't return my gaze, but he shakes his head.

"No. Just not looking forward to this," he answers.

"Fair enough," I say with a sigh, letting the conversation drop.

When we arrive, I glance at the clock in the station. 2:55 p.m. I pick up the pace, Axel trailing just behind me, to get to the café on time. We walk in just a few minutes past three, and I scan the room. Immediately, I know who I'm there to see. I tug on Axel's sleeve.

"Axel, over there," I whisper, motioning with my eyes. He scowls.

"I told you this was a trap," he hisses. I shake my head.

"I don't think it is. Come on," I say, walking towards the guard who let us into the castle a few weeks ago. Axel has no choice but to follow. I sit down opposite the guard with Axel soon sitting next to me. He gives us a tentative smile.

"I didn't think you'd come," he says. His voice is soft, smooth, worried.

"Well, I'm here," I say awkwardly. He clears his throat.

"Of course. You want to know why you're here. Your brother, he's not really the one who's in charge at the castle," he says. My eyes widen, and I give Axel a look that says 'I told you so.'

"Who is?" I ask, my palms getting clammy. He fixes me with a penetrating stare.

"Your sister," he answers, confirming my theory.

"And she has her own guards, doesn't she?" I ask. He nods gravely. "How many?"

"Approximately three of her own, but I fear many of the castle guards would defend her if…if something happened," he says with a significant air. I understand what he's insinuating.

"How many wouldn't?" His eyes glaze over as though calculating before answering.

"I don't know exactly. I feel fairly certain the odds would be tipped in her favor, but not by much," he says. I nod.

"Is there a way I can reach you after this?" I ask quietly. He nods with a small smile. He pulls a pen out of his shirt pocket and scribbles an address on a napkin.

"This is my sister's address. She'll make sure anything you send gets to me safely." I take the napkin, nod again, and smile at the man.

"Thank you. Unless there's anything else you need to tell me, I think we'll be going now," I say. He shakes his head.

"Nothing more. I hope to hear from you soon," he says, standing up with me.

"I think you will," I say, extending a hand to shake his. He clasps both hands over mine and shakes with gusto.

"Thank you for coming," he says with a smile. I nod.

"Thank you for setting it up," I reply before turning and leaving the café. Axel and I walk in silence, ride the train home in silence, spend the car ride from the station to the house in silence, and walk to separate rooms in silence. I'm too engulfed in my own thoughts to really notice, though. I plop down on the couch in the living room to sort through them.

My theory was right. Larxene is controlling Demyx, but there are at least a few people who would support me if I tried to do something about it. We would be outnumbered, but not by too much. There have been plenty of times where the outnumbered win the war. _Is that what this is going to be? A war? _ I frown at the thought. I don't want an actual fight to break out, but what other option is there? Larxene isn't going to just surrender after a stern talking to. She probably wouldn't even listen to said talk. Knowing her, she'll just go straight for blood. _She'd have to be the primary target. Take her out, and her followers will probably surrender. _I bite my lip hard. Could I really kill my own sister?

"I know what you're thinking," Axel's voice says bitterly from the doorway. I jump and swivel around to look at him. He's leaning against the frame, his arms crossed, and he's glaring at me. I furrow my eyebrows.

"Axel, what's wrong?" I ask. The thought of him possibly being angry never entered my mind. Thinking about it now, though, I feel stupid for not realizing he'd be mad.

"What's wrong? What's wrong, _Iris_?" He says my name acidly. "Oh, I don't know. Let's think about it," he starts walking towards me. "Ever since you found out what's going on, you've been filling your head with these stupid thoughts about saving the world. I can see it in your eyes now. You're trying to come up with some plan to take your sister down to free your brother so you can claim the throne and set everything right so everyone can live happily ever after with rainbows and fucking bunnies," he spats, now directly in front of me. He leans down, placing his hands on the couch on either side of my head. His face is inches from mine, and the fire in his eyes is terrifying; I can practically feel it burning my face.

"Axel," I whimper. "You're scar-"

"Scaring you?" he hisses. "Good! If you find me scary right now, just imagine how you'd feel if you actually went through with your insane plans. You won't last two seconds in an actual fight. Your sister and all her guards will destroy you before you can blink. It's time to let go of all this. It's time for you to get it through your thick skull that there is _nothing _you can do. You will be here, where you're safe, forever, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner we can be happy again," he finishes. I stare into his burning eyes and feel my heart hardening towards him.

"You are the most selfish person I've ever met," I whisper hotly. He blinks, taken aback, before scowling at me.

"_I'm _selfish? _I'm _the one being selfish here, Iris? Wake up!" he shouts, pushing away from me and pacing the floor. "I'm trying to keep you from signing your own execution papers! I'm trying to keep you alive and safe! You're the one who doesn't give a fuck about everything I've done and am trying to do for you! You're the one trying to throw away what we finally have together! All you're thinking about is what you want!" he yells, throwing his hands into the air. I push myself off the couch to glower at him.

"_I'm_ trying to fix an entire kingdom, Axel! I'm thinking about all the other people out there affected by what's going on! I want to help make their lives go back to normal, yet I'm the one being selfish and only thinking about myself? It sounds to me like you're the one only thinking about themselves! You don't even care about everyone else whose lives aren't as fabulous as yours! You don't give a damn if they live or die as long as your life isn't affected. Sure, you're trying to keep me alive and safe, but you're not actually thinking about what I want!" I shout back.

"You want to die, Iris? Is that what you want? Because I promise that's what will happen if you try to do anything!"

"You know what? I might die, sure. But at least I'll be dying for something that's important to me! You know where you'll be, though, Axel? You'll be here…in your big house with all your money, safe and sound and pathetic. Because you're a coward, Axel. You're a scared, spineless, coward," I say lowly, glaring at him with as much venom I can muster. He clenches his fists, glaring back at me, and I've never seen him look angrier. A silence engulfs us before he finally speaks.

"Fine. You win, Iris. Go pack your shit, have Renton take you to the train station, and do whatever the hell you want. And you know where I'll be? I'll be here in my big house with all my money, safe and sound and _smart_, waiting for you to come crawling back when you come to your senses. Don't expect to be met with a warm welcome, though," he says quietly. Shock runs through me.

"What?" I ask, not comprehending what he's saying.

"Did I stutter? Go pack your shit and leave and go do whatever you think you have to do. I don't know why I fucking bothered buying you from that market. I don't know why I bothered caring about you and giving you everything you could want. I don't know why I bothered falling in _love _with you. I guess I'm just a fucking idiot, so you know what? This is me coming to _my_ senses: get the hell out of my house," he hisses. I narrow my eyes in the most scathing glare I can manage, trying to hide the hurt all over my face.

"Fine," I say. "I'll send you a postcard when I've fixed everything." I turn on my heel and stalk out of the room to pack up some necessities, blinking the tears from my eyes. When I'm done, Renton is waiting at the front door for me, and Axel's leaning against the opposite wall, his expression unreadable. I fix him with another glare before walking out the door.

I don't look back.


	33. Chapter ThirtyTwo

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Welcome to the Sunset Hotel. Please present a valid photo I.D with your form of payment," the young man behind the counter drawls, not even looking up at me. I slide my I.D and some money Axel gave me onto the magazine he's reading. He scowls slightly before taking my money and I.D. He examines my I.D with a bored expression, but his brown eyes quickly grow wide. He looks from the card to me to the card and back to me. "Y-Y-You're the princess!" he exclaims. I give him a half smile.

"Yeah, that's me. Look, do me a favor and don't go making a big deal about me being here. I'm trying to keep it quiet," I tell him.

"Of course! Oh, my gosh, I can't believe this. You wouldn't mind at least meeting my parents, would you? They're the owners. My name's Hayner, by the way," he says quickly.

"Nice to meet you. Yeah, I'll meet your parents, but could I just get a room first?" I say, trying not to sound rude. He grins widely, obviously not taking offense.

"Sure, no problem. Here ya go," he says while handing me a key.

"Thanks. Is it alright if I meet your parents tomorrow? I've had a bit of a long day." He nods excitedly.

"Yeah. You can meet them over breakfast." I nod and spare him a smile before turning to go find my room.

I find my room fairly quickly, toss my bag in the corner, and flop down on the bed with a sigh. I stare up at the ceiling unblinkingly, still numb to the events of this evening. I know it'll probably hit me in a few hours or in the morning, but right now, I just can't bring myself to feel anything about this evening. I sigh and crawl under the covers, not even bothering to change into pajamas, and let blissful darkness engulf me.

I wake in the morning to the sound of birds chirping outside the window, and I'd like nothing more than to have a bow and a bunch of arrows right now. I groan and roll away from the sound, and the events of yesterday wash over me. I can see Axel's ferocious face behind my eyelids and hear his hateful words. A mixture of anger and sadness spreads through me, and hot tears slide down my face. I bite down onto my knuckles, not wanting to cry out, and let the tears keep coming. I'm glad I'm getting the chance to fix everything, but what I've had to lose to gain that chance is killing me.

In a perfect world, my family would still be alive, and I would've inherited the throne with no resistance. Axel and I would've randomly met one day and fallen in love like people are supposed to and had a great relationship, maybe even have gotten married one day. In a perfect world, I wouldn't have had to sacrifice love for duty. In a perfect world, I wouldn't be in this hotel room crying my eyes out while birds chirp happily outside.

The world isn't perfect, though. It never will be. For this, I cry harder.

After cleaning myself up and putting on clean clothes, I walk into the lobby to find Hayner talked animatedly to his parents. As though sensing my arrival, he turns around and grins widely.

"See! I told you guys I wasn't hallucinating! Though maybe if you guys didn't work me so hard you wouldn't think I'm having hallucinations," he says. His father claps him lightly on the shoulder with a smile.

"Gotta earn your college tuition someway, son," he says lightly before turning to me. He scrutinizes me for a moment with a serious expression before fixing me with a wide grin similar to his son's. "I'll be damned. Kid isn't going crazy after all." I shuffle my feet awkwardly.

"Um…hi," I say lamely. The man chuckles, and Hayner's mother clucks at her husband.

"You're making the poor girl embarrassed, honey!" she admonishes before smiling at me. "Come on, dear, how about some breakfast?" Her eyes are kind, and I feel an immediate fondness towards this woman. I nod with a small smile.

"That would be wonderful, thank you," I say, following the small family into another room. I realize the family must actually live in the hotel once I catch sight of the room. I've been lead into a small kitchen and dining room with a four-seat table. I sit down opposite Hayner as his mother shuffles about in the kitchen. Moments later, she's scooping scrambled eggs onto my plate and plopping pancakes down. She asks me what I'd like to drink and returns moments later with a tall glass of orange juice. I thank her, a little embarrassed by her fussing over me. We all start eating in silence before Hayner's father clears his throat.

"So, Princess-"

"Iris, please," I interrupt, wincing. I've never liked the formality. His dad smiles.

"Iris. What brings you to Twilight Town?" he asks. I bite my lip slightly.

"Uh…well… I guess it depends on how you look at it," I mumble. All three of them look at me expectantly, so I know I'll have to elaborate. "I'm trying to reclaim the throne from my…brother," I say hesitantly. The three of them shift nervously at the mention of him. "I would've just done that from my own place, but my…er…boyfriend and I had a fight about everything, so I had to leave. I guess I'm just here in Twilight Town until I figure out what I'm supposed to do next," I finish. After voicing everything, I feel absolutely foolish. What _am _I supposed to do next?

"That's…that's quite a goal you're going for," Hayner's mother says nervously.

"I know it seems insane, but I don't think it's impossible," I say strongly, trying to convince myself more than her.

"Man," Hayner starts with a shake of his head. "That's intense. I sure wish Roxas was here. He'd love this sort of thing." I choke on a sip of orange juice and begin sputtering and coughing.

"Did- coughcough- you say- cough- Roxas?" I spit out. The family is looking at me like I've suddenly gone crazy.

"Uh…yeah. He was a good friend of mine. Lived with us after his parents died," Hayner answers warily.

"Disappeared two years ago?" I ask. Hayner's eyes widen.

"Did you know him?" he asks. I run a hand through my hair.

"Uh…yeah, sort of. I knew him very…briefly," I say, averting my gaze.

"In the slave market?" his mother asks softly. My eyes snap up to hers, surprised she knows. I nod slowly. "I always figured that's where he ended up. I searched the markets for a year after he disappeared, but I never found him." Her voice is sad, and I feel terrible for this woman.

"No, you wouldn't have," I say quietly. Her eyes search mine, and I know she understands. Her eyes are suddenly swimming with tears, and I don't think I can handle it. I stand up. "I-I'm sorry. E-Excuse me," I say hurriedly, leaving the room before I can watch her tears fall.

I stay out of the hotel all day to avoid facing Hayner and his parents. I window shop, eat some ice cream, sit atop the clock tower, and send a letter to the castle guard. In the letter, I ask him to meet me at the same place as yesterday in a couple of days. Finally, I have no choice but to head back to the hotel. I'm thankful when I see the lobby empty and quickly scurry down the long hallway to my room.

A few hours later, I'm sitting by the window reading when there's a soft knocking at my door. I look up and raise my eyebrows before setting the book down and crossing the room. Standing outside the door is Hayner, looking down at his feet with a stony expression on his face.

"Can I come in?" he asks, not looking at me.

"Sure," I say, confused, before stepping aside to let him enter. I close the door and sit back down in my chair by the window. I watch as he paces the small room quietly, seemingly lost in thought. Finally, he nods to himself and stops to stare at me.

"You're planning on fighting your brother for the throne, aren't you?" he asks.

"Uh…more or less," I say vaguely.

"Well you're going to need some people to back you up, huh?" I nod, not seeing exactly where he's going with this. "I want to help you. Any way I can, even if that means fighting," he says resolutely. My eyebrows shoot up.

"Really," I say. He nods.

"Yeah. My best friend, a guy I considered my brother, is dead because of that bastard's policies and laws," he replies heatedly. I sigh.

"Well, if you really want to help, I suppose you better know the whole story first," I start before launching into the truth. I tell him everything the guard from the castle told me, and he doesn't interrupt me. When the story is over, I can't read the look on his face. After a few moments, he whistles lowly.

"Man, talk about family drama," he says, and I can't fight a small smile from forcing itself onto my lips.

"So you still in?" I ask. He nods.

"You know it," he replies immediately. I grin.

_Maybe this will all work out after all._


	34. Chapter ThirtyThree

Chapter Thirty-Three

_What was I thinking? There is no way this will all work out._

I growl as I crumple up another piece of paper and throw it into a nearby rubbish bin. I've been staying at the Sunset Hotel for nearly a month. I've met with the guard from the castle, and Hayner has gotten a number of other people willing to help, but besides that, we've made zero progress. We have no plan on how to infiltrate the castle, and I have no plan on how to find and take out Larxene. She's always been a good fighter. The only thing I was better at was piano and painting, neither of which I can exactly use to defeat her. I was pretty good at archery, but it's been a long time since I've practiced, and I have no bow.

I explain all of this during a meeting with the castle guard one late October afternoon. At the end of my spiel, I put my face in my hands, completely exasperated. He's silent for a moment.

"Where was your bow last?" he finally asks.

"In my room," I say, my voice muffled by my hands.

"Then it's still there." I snap my head up, a question on my lips, but he continues. "After you were taken, your siblings never emptied your room. They just shut the door. No one's been in since." I ponder this for a minute before sighing and shaking my head.

"It won't do any good. Even if I could get into the castle and get a hold of it, I'm so out of practice it would be useless," I grumble.

"I'll try to smuggle it out," he says. I shake my head.

"Too dangerous," I mutter.

"I'm willing to risk it."

"I'm not," I say, louder than I intend. Immediately, I drop my voice back down. "If you get caught, you get killed, and I still don't have a weapon. The cons outweigh the pros."

"We'll see," he says quietly before hurrying out of the hotel. I try to follow him out, protesting, but he disappears in the crowd. I groan loudly up at the sky, stomp my feet in frustration and stalk back into the hotel.

* * *

Two weeks later, Hayner walks into my room with a large package. My heart somersaults.

"What's that, Hayner?" I ask, trying not to get my hopes up. He shrugs.

"Dunno. It just got dropped off for you," he says, handing me the package. I rip open the brown paper to find my bow and a quiver of arrows. There's a note on top, and I pick it up and read it quickly. It only contains three words:

_Get to practicing._

I grin, hope fluttering in my stomach.

* * *

I flop down on my bed, exhausted. My arms and shoulders are sore, but I can't help but smile. It hasn't been easy getting back into practice, and a number of my arrows are still off the mark, but there's been significant improvement since the day I got my bow back. If I keep practicing daily till the New Year, I think I have a pretty good chance of making all of this quick and easy.

Hayner chooses this moment to burst into my room, waving a newspaper.

"You might want to read this," he announces, shoving the paper under my nose. I scramble to grab it and straighten it out, trying to squelch my feelings of annoyance at Hayner.

"Hayner, what is-"

"Just read it!" he shouts, sounding panicked. I turn my eyes to the paper and read:

_Tension has been mounting between ours and the neighboring kingdom, and it appears everything is about ready to reach a boiling point. A very reliable source has informed this journalist King Weatherly is planning to initiate war between the kingdoms in an attempt to expand the reach of his rule. The King and his advisors will be meeting at the end of November to make a final decision on this matter._

I drop the paper into my lap and stare at the ceiling. I drape my arm over my eyes and take a few steadying breaths through my nose. Despite this, I can't bring myself to calm down. I sit up quickly, ball the paper up violently and throw it across the room with a half-groan-half-scream. This not being enough, I jump onto my feet and pace the room.

"We're screwed. We are so screwed. There's no way I can take over the kingdom in the middle of a war. The neighboring kingdom will just see it as an opportunity to knock me down. If we do anything, it has to be before they start organizing troops, but that doesn't give us nearly enough time to prepare! The end of November is in two and half weeks!" I shout. I fall back onto the bed, facedown, feeling defeated. "Axel was right," I say into the pillow, but I know Hayner can't hear me.

Saying his name aloud sends a jolt of pain through me, adding to my feelings of despair. I suddenly can't handle having Hayner in the room. I lift my head so he can hear me but can't see the tears in my eyes.

"Hayner, let's talk about this later, alright? I need some time to think," I say quietly.

"Alright," he says simply before walking out. I bury my face back into the pillow and, without warning, start sobbing violently. It's official; I've lost. I've lost my family. I've lost my kingdom. I've lost my home, my pride, my dignity. I've lost the man I love. I've lost everything, and it is the absolute worst feeling I've ever felt.

I continue wallowing in my own self-pity for a while, but I eventually lose the energy to continue crying. My violent, heaving sobs have finally dissipated into pathetic little hiccups and shuddery breaths. I roll over and clutch the pillow to my chest in an attempt to squash the feelings of depression aching in my chest.

Finally, my eyes dry up and my breathing returns to normal. A headache pulses through my head and makes it feel ten times larger than normal. My nose is stuffed up, my body is sore, and my eyelids feel heavy. I close them and am asleep within minutes.

* * *

"_Mommy! Mommy!" a seven-year-old me shouts while running into the living room. I hurry to my mom, tears streaming down my face. She scoops me up into her lap and cradles me against her chest._

"_What's wrong, Iris?" she asks while smoothing my hair down._

"_L-L-Lars p-p-p-pushed me d-down!" I wail, holding my little scraped up hands to her face. My dad looks up from his newspaper on the other side of the room._

"_Well why didn't you push her back?" he asks seriously._

"_Honey!" my mom hisses._

"_I'm serious," he says before re-directing to me. "If someone is pushing you around, Iris, you can't just give up and let them. Sometimes, you need to fight back."_

"_B-b-but she's b-bigger than m-me," I sniffle. My dad folds his paper up and sets it in his lap._

"_She is," he agrees. "But there are going to be a lot of people and even groups of people who try to bully you, and a lot of them will be bigger than you. You have to hold your ground, though, and try your absolute best to stand up for yourself, understand?" I wipe my nose across my arm and nod before looking up to my mom._

"_Sh-she's still g-getting in trouble, right?" I ask. Both of my parents smile._

"_Yes, baby, she is," my mom says._

* * *

When I wake up, I just know the flashback dream was sent to me from my parents. I smile slightly as my father's encouraging words continue ringing in my ears.

"You're still getting in trouble, Lars," I whisper into the darkness.


	35. Chapter ThirtyFour

Chapter Thirty-Four

There's a small group of people gathered in the hotel kitchen. All of their eyes are on me, waiting for me to tell them what we're going to do. It's been three days since Hayner showed me the newspaper article. I spent those three days making up and changing my mind repeatedly until reaching the decision I'm about to issue.

"We'll be infiltrating the castle in two weeks. Anyone who doesn't feel they're ready is more than welcome to back down now, but waiting is no longer an option," I announce, my voice sounding much stronger than I feel. A few people smile widely, a few bite down on their lips or nails in hesitation, and a few stand up apologetically and leave. My stomach lurches a little as our already small numbers dwindle, but keep a brave face.

"So what's the plan?" asks Hayner. My expression falls slightly.

"Uh…well…I don't have one," I say sheepishly. A small murmur erupts in the room, but luckily doesn't last long before the castle guard speaks.

"I do," he says, effectively causing all eyes to turn to him, including mine. I raise an eyebrow in question. "Are you aware, Iris, of the tunnels leading from the basement off of the grounds?"

"N-No," I stutter, surprised. He smiles.

"The guards mostly use them if there are intruders or suspicious people around. It's quicker and stealthier," he explains.

"But does Larxene and her hired guards know about it?" His smile grows.

"No offense, Iris, but why would the royal children know about the guard tunnels?" I smile sheepishly.

"Fair point," I respond good-naturedly. "But how do we use it if there might be other guards in there?"

"I happen to know that on the day of the meeting, all of the guards who will be siding with Larxene will be attending the meeting. A small group of us have been given the duty to remain on watch, all of which have expressed wishes to support you," he explains.

"So, we get inside in groups, station ourselves around the castle, myself closest to the meeting room, and just wait for everyone to filter out?" I ask. The guard frowns.

"I don't think that would be what's best strategically," he starts. "I think it would be best to send in an ambush group during the meeting to get things going. Larxene will rush to safety, thus isolating her enough to give you a chance against her. We don't want another guard taking you out. Then the whole thing is futile," he says. I bite down on my lip.

"I don't want anyone on our side getting hurt to give me a better chance," I say softly.

"We're all grown-ups here, Iris. We know what we're risking," says a villager in the back. There's a mumble of assent amongst the crowd. "Our goal is to keep you safe enough to get you back on the throne."

"Why can't one of us just take out the bitch?" someone else asks. I shake my head.

"It has to be me. She's my sister, so if anyone is going to kill her, it's going to be me," I say, my voice stony. No one questions me.

"So, we're agreed on the plan?" the guard asks me. I run a hand through my hair with a sigh.

"Well…I don't really have much of a choice," I say dejectedly. "It's the only plan we've got." I try to keep the grim expression off my face, but it's already mirrored on everyone's faces. Everyone knows the odds are not in our favor, but there's still enough hope in everyone's eyes to keep us going. This compels me to beam a smile to the group. "We just…We just have to stand our ground and do our best."

* * *

I train fervently for the next two weeks, but the day is upon me before I can blink. I push the negative thoughts I have into the back of my mind as my support group and I take the train to Radiant Gardens. None of us speak on the ride, and I know they're all trying to do the same thing as me.

As planned, we approach the castle in groups, and the guard lets us in one group at a time. He's leading my group to the entrance of the tunnel when I hear someone whistle loudly. I turn quickly to find the source of the noise and gasp. My mind feels fuzzy, and my heart flutters. Walking towards me at a very brisk pace is Axel. He reaches me and smiles, but I can only stare with a stunned expression.

"Hey," he says with a grin. My mind kicks back into gear at his voice, and I tilt my head disbelievingly at him.

"Hey?" I reply. "_Hey? _ You kick me out two months ago after saying some very hurtful things, then you just show up here on such an important day and all you say is '_hey_'?" I hiss. My fingers are itching to grab onto an arrow and send it straight through his heart, but I manage to resist the urge. His smile falls, and he scratches the back of his head nervously.

"Look, I'm really sorry about that. It was stupid of me to act like that, and I didn't mean those things I said. I've done a lot of thinking about everything, and I really want to be here to help you. You were right; I was being a coward. A big, stinkin' coward. But I want to set all that straight and prove to you I'm worth something. I'm here to support you and what you believe in because you're worth it," he says. My heart is fluttering rapidly, and I feel light. Throwing my reservations to the wind, I fling my arms around his neck.

"I love you," I whisper, tears swimming in my eyes. His arms wrap around me tightly, and he kisses the side of my head.

"I love you too," he replies. After giving us a moment, the guard clears his throat. I pull back and look at him before looking back at Axel. I smile and plant a quick kiss on his lips.

"You sure you want to do this?" I ask. He grins.

"Yep. And I've brought someone along," he says. I look behind him to see Xigbar standing a few feet away, leaning against the fence. He grins widely at me and gives me a little wave, a gun in his hand. I wave back nervously, and Axel smiles at my expression. "Don't worry. He's an awesome shot." I nod, not very reassured, but deciding to just go with it.

"Alright," interrupts the guard. "If this moment is over, we should really get a move on." I nod again before rejoining my group with Axel at my side.

We make our way through the tunnel, encountering other good guards at random intervals to guide us. Finally, we emerge into the basement. I pull my bow around and set an arrow onto the rest while making my way to the door leading into the main section of the house. The door has been left cracked by previous groups, and I peek around it.

"Clear," I announce softly before nudging the door open enough for each of us to get through. We make our way to our station near the throne room, which is where we assume Larxene will head to for safety. When settled along the hall and around corners, I whisper to the group, "Alright, the ambush group should be busting into the meeting room in about ten minutes. Once they do, we have to-" a loud crash followed by yelling and a gunshot interrupts me, causing the blood to rush from my face. Moments later, a man from a different group comes running to us.

"The ambush group has been ambushed. They were expecting us. You need to get to safety, Iris; they'll be sending the main guards down this way to get you," he says urgently.

"I…I don't-" I falter. He pushes me to get me moving down the hall.

"Go! Get somewhere safe until a few more of them are taken out! Go now!" he hisses. I run off down the hall, keeping my bow drawn and ready. My heart is racing, and it's hard to keep my wits about myself enough to not just start shooting off arrows. I reach the foyer and take off up the stairs, trying to figure out where to go. _They'll expect me to head to my old room. They'll be searching all the rooms for me actually. I just need to get somewhere they wouldn't look through immediately. Somewhere where I'll have the advantage. Just don't panic. Just don't panic. _I hear more gunshots, and tears start swimming in my eyes. _Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, don't panic! _I feel ready to scream in panic, so I stop against a door in the hallway to catch my breath. I'm not even still for a minute when a hand clamps down on my mouth and drags me through the door I'm in front of. I start biting at the hand, causing the owner to hiss but not let go. My attacker gets me in the room and shuts door.

"Shhh," he hisses. "Iris, it's me. Calm down," Demyx's voice whispers in my ear. Immediately, I relax and nod against his hand. He lets go and I spin around to face him. His hair is a mess and his eyes hold a wild, panicky look. I'm consumed with sympathy for him.

"Me-Me," I say, throwing my arms around him in a hug. He hugs me back briefly before holding me at arm's length.

"You shouldn't have come, Iris. You need to get out of here now," he says urgently. I shake my head.

"I can't, Demyx. I have to set things right. I'm not running away," I say resolutely. He runs his hands through his hair, messing it up more.

"Iris, they will kill you," he hisses.

"Who are they, Demyx? Who are Larxene's guards? I need to know if I want to take them out," I say. He bites his lip, not wanting to tell me. I fix him with a steely gaze. "Tell me, Demyx." He's silent for a while before answering, and I can hear the faint sounds of swords clashing. He winces at the sound.

"Their names are Xemnas, Xaldin, and Saix," he starts. "They're those three men from _that _night." I feel as though my heart stops beating.

"S-Saix? He's here? He's one of her guards?" I ask. Demyx nods. I scrape a hand down my face.

"He was the guy that took me and beat me for two months before sending me to the market," I say quietly. Demyx looks at me awkwardly, not knowing what to say. I meditate on this thought for a moment before setting my resolve. I look intently into Demyx's eyes. "Where would they have taken Larxene right now, Demyx?"

"You're seriously considering staying?" he asks vehemently.

"I'm not hiding this time, Me-Me. I'm doing what daddy always told me and you to do: stand my ground. I think it's high time you did too," I respond. He tries to stare me down, but quickly breaks. He sighs.

"Throne room. They're waiting for you to go to them," he says.

"Who all will be in there?"

"Larxene and all three men. No one else, though. Iris…you go in there and you'll be outnumbered. You really think you can win against four people?"

"I guess I won't know until I try," I say before hugging him again, knowing instinctively he won't be following me.

With one last meaningful glance back at my brother, I ready my bow again and leave the room.


	36. Chapter ThirtyFive

Chapter Thirty-Five

In the hallway, the noise of fighting is much louder. It sounds as though a storm is raging inside the castle, which I suppose there kind of is. I creep silently down the hall and peek around the corner to look downstairs. My breath catches at the sight. Immobile bodies are strewn about the floor, each with varying degrees of wounds, their blood staining the wood floor and the white walls. Those still standing are engaged in combat, swords clanging, guns firing, fists flying. It's chaos, and I want to scream.

There's a crash as a body hits a wall. I snap my attention to where Axel is now crumpling against said wall. He brings a hand to his forehead and I see him grit his teeth in pain. There's a large, burly man stalking towards him, a heavy looking tomahawk drawn and ready to strike.

"Axel," I whisper, drawing my bowstring back quickly. I take aim and a deep breath to steady my shaking hand. The man is mere feet from Axel; my heart races as I release the arrow. I close my eyes briefly but snap them open just as quickly. There's blood on the wall next to Axel, and his eyes widen in shock as the large man crumples down, the arrow sticking from his temple. I sigh in relief, and Axel's eyes search me out. Upon catching sight of me, he smiles brightly and gives me a little salute.

"Are you okay?" I mouth. He nods. I give him a smile before hurrying past the stair case to continue down the hallway. I reach the hidden stairwell that leads into the throne room hall and throw open the door, my bowstring drawn in case someone's hiding in there. No one's there, and I lower my bow but lift it almost immediately afterwards when I hear footsteps behind me. I spin around quickly, about to release another arrow, but am met with the sight of Axel. A breath escapes me in a hiss, and I lower my weapon again.

"Shit, Axel, you can't just sneak up behind someone like that," I say.

"Sorry. I didn't exactly think about what I was doing. Thanks for not shooting me. Nice hit on that guy, by the way," he replies. I glance back down the stairwell impatiently.

"Thanks. Now isn't the best time for idle chit-chat, though, in case you haven't noticed."

"Yeah. I just wanted to know where you're going."

"Throne room. Larxene and her personal guards are there," I mutter quickly.

"You're going alone?" he asks incredulously.

"I don't exactly have the time to form a little support group seeing as how they're all busy trying to keep themselves alive."

"Well I'll go with you," he says. I shake my head.

"That big guy unarmed you. What do you expect to do?" I ask. He bites down on his lip.

"I could lead a guard or two out of the room for you," he says. I roll my eyes.

"Axel, that-" I pause. "Uh…that might work," I mumble. "You run up, push the doors open so they think I'm there, hide in a nearby closet, and I shoot from the stairs. I'll have to get into the throne room right after, though to take out the last guard before I have Larxene alone, but that…that's about our only option, isn't it?" I ask rhetorically. I sigh. "Alright, let's go."

We head down the stairwell together and peek down the hallway at the bottom. Everything's clear. I point out a good place for Axel to hunker down after kicking the door open, and he nods before creeping up to the door. He looks back at me, and I nod, ready. I pull back to remain unseen, hear the noise, and pull my bowstring back as Axel runs back past me to the anointed hiding spot. Seconds later, I hear tentative footsteps make their way down the hall. They get closer and closer, and then the silver haired man comes into view. Without a moment's hesitation, I release the arrow into his skull and watch him fall.

"Xemnas?" a voice calls down the hall, sounding shocked. I know he's not going to be dumb enough to come down here; I also know it'll only take him a moment to notice the arrow sticking out of Xemnas's head. I'm proven correct when I hear him hiss, "shit."

I jump from my spot, another arrow at the ready. I take the quickest aim possible and release another arrow right as a lance whizzes by my ear and another slices through my thigh. I hiss and groan in pain, but am thankful the first missed. I look up in time to dodge another lance. I pull another arrow from the quiver and shoot it off, this time hitting the man with sideburns, Xaldin, in the chest. I smile as he goes down, the arrow having plunged through his heart. He glares at me angrily before his eyes glaze over.

I ready another arrow, expecting Saix to appear any moment, but time passes without him coming to the door. He and Larxene are waiting for me to come to him. Axel appears next to me, the three lances in his hands.

"You okay?" he whispers, eyeing the wound in my leg. I nod.

"Fine. You sure you want to come in there?" I whisper back.

"Yeah. I'm not letting you go in there alone." I smile and take a second to plant a kiss on his cheek before heading cautiously towards the room. Axel is right behind me, both of us poised for an attack. We both step through the doorway, and I see Larxene sitting nonchalantly on the throne. She grins widely at me, a malicious glint in her eye, and something feels wrong. I furrow my eyebrows, but don't get a lot of time to think before the doors slam shut, a foot makes heavy contact with the small of my back, and I go toppling a few feet away. There's a clatter as arrows fall from my quiver and I hear the lances wrenched from Axel's grip. I quickly pull myself onto my hands and knees and look behind me. Saix has Axel's arms locked behind his back and a knife to his throat. A sadistic smile is playing at his lips while a look of terror and fury dances in Axel's eyes.

"If you don't want to see his blood all over this floor, you'll leave those arrows on the floor," Saix says smoothly. I stand, holding my hands in front of me to prove them empty. I can't help myself as I glance down at his shoes.

"New shoes?" I ask flatly. He glares at me, but doesn't say anything. I smile at him. "I told you that blood would never polish out."

"Don't test me," he hisses, pressing the blade tighter against Axel's throat. I clamp my mouth shut, not taking my eyes from that knife.

"Iris," a falsely sweet voice says from behind me. I bristle at my sister's tone, but don't turn to face her. She chuckles softly. "Turn around, sis; Saix isn't gonna hurt your little boyfriend unless I say so." I grit my teeth and turn around to face her. She smiles, her nose wrinkling just slightly. "Well didn't you turn out to be just the pretty little thing. Too bad about your nose and that hideous scar." I glare at her.

"I'm probably still a right sight better than you," I say venomously. _Shit, Iris, shut up! Piss her off and Axel's dead. _Luckily, she just laughs.

"Well, that won't be a problem much longer if you don't listen to me. Listen, Iris, you're messing with some plans I have here. You have a few options, though. The first one is you can help me out with my plans. In fact, you'd make quite the interesting plot twist," she says airily.

"And the second option?" I ask, balling my hands into fists. Her smile widens.

"You and everyone you've brought with you die."


	37. Chapter ThirtySix

Chapter Thirty-Six

_Distract her. Distract her and maybe you'll find a way to get out of this alive._

"What did you mean when you said you had plans and I'd make an interesting plot twist?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at Larxene. Her smile doesn't falter.

"I know what you're doing, Iris. You're trying to buy yourself time," she says, and I mentally curse myself. "It won't help any, you know. You're in quite the sticky situation, aren't you? In fact, I'd go so far as to say your odds are pretty bleak here." Something in my mind clicks. _Her arrogance! Her arrogance might be your saving grace. Keep her talking._

"Well you told me I had two options," I say, flying by the seat of my pants. "How am I supposed to weigh by pros and cons if I don't even know what this plan I'd be helping you with is?" Her smile falls into a tiny frown, considering my words.

"True," she starts slowly. She smiles again and stands up, taking a few steps down from the throne. I glance around as stealthily as I can, trying to find a way to take her and Saix by surprise. The arrows are all scattered at my feet, the bow a few feet to my right. The lances Axel brought in with us are too far from me. If I try to reach any of these items, Saix will have Axel's jugular bleeding out within seconds. I look back up to Larxene, and I can tell she's practically reading my mind. She laughs at me softly. "I've won once against, little sis. But let's see, what was I about to say? Ah, yes, my plan. You see, no one knows I've been manipulating our dear brother. Everyone thinks I was killed or sent off to the slave market like you. So just imagine how much of a welcome surprise it'll be when I come in to stop Demyx from sending those troops off to invade our neighbors. And how _interesting _of a story will it make that I saved you while saving our kingdom and you agreed to relinquish your rights to the throne to me? Then the public will just love me once I've cleaned up all the little villages and gotten rid of all those terrible laws Demyx made," she finishes sweetly. I shake my head while glaring at her.

"I don't…I don't get it, though. If you're just going to repel all the laws _you _pushed through, why didn't you just take over in the first place? Why make Demyx look like the bad ruler?" Her eyes glint with malice, and she starts making her way towards me.

"Isn't it obvious? The kingdom was already so nice, so it had to be messed up a little bit before I could take over. Start the slave market to get rid of you, make it look like Demyx is the bad seed who craved power, and then play the hero card to make myself look better so everyone can be thankful for my reign," she explains, just a few feet away from me now. I feel sick to my stomach, and the blood loss from my leg is starting to make me dizzy. "So what do you say, Iris? Play into my plan, and everyone else stays alive and goes free. If you don't, everyone dies. What'll it be?"

"I hate you," I whisper. I didn't think it possible, but her smile grows.

"That's not an answer," she says in a sing-song voice. I bite my lip, and I guess she thinks my hesitation takes too long. "Maybe this will help you decide," she coos before punching her fist into my gut. I double over, coughing. She buries her fist in my stomach a second time, forcing me down to my knees. I dry-heave from the pain before turning my face back up to hers with a glare. "Oh, my. It appears the breakers didn't do a very good job on you, now did they?" she asks. I remain silent. "It looks like I'll just have to fix that myself." She walks over to Saix. "Your knife, please, Saix," she says.

"What? But what about-"

"He isn't going anywhere. If he tries anything, he'll just get to watch her blood spill instead," she says, running a hand along Axel's jaw.

"Don't touch her!" he shouts. She laughs again and pats his cheek.

"You're cute," she condescends while taking Saix's knife. He repositions his hold on Axel, keeping him sufficiently pinned. Seeing a brief window of opportunity, I inch my hand towards the bow. Larxene whips around. "Ah ah ah! Hands to yourself," she says, stopping my actions.

She saunters back over to me and kneels in front of me. She smiles and flashes the knife at me.

"How about another scar to match the first one? Maybe that'll help you come to your senses." Before I can speak, she has a hand knotted in my hair to hold my head still and the knife is slicing into my flesh. I shriek as she drags it from the outside corner of my eye and along the curve of my cheekbone. She withdraws it, and I feel the blood trailing down my face. "Aw, what a shame to further mess up such a pretty face," she says, her voice laced with false sympathy. "Now how about you be a good girl and answer my question: are you going to help me and live, or refuse and die?" I eye the knife held loosely in her hand. _It's now or never._

"I think I'll refuse and live, thanks," I hiss, lunging forward. I knock her backwards and clutch onto the handle of the knife. She doesn't let go, but wraps a leg around my waist and flips me onto my back. She grabs onto my wrists and pins my legs down using hers, putting an extremely painful amount of pressure on my wounded leg. She laughs cruelly and slides one of my wrists along the floor to hold both of them in one hand. She presses the knife to my neck with the other. I hear Axel shuffle against Saix.

"Iris! Shit, let me go you asshole," he hisses at Saix. Saix lets out a laugh of equal caliber to Larxene's. Larxene presses the knife to my neck a little harder, and I can feel little beads of blood escaping.

"You shouldn't have done that, little sis. Now everyone you brought here is going to die, starting with you," she says lightly. I stare up at her, hatred burning in my eyes.

"You're no sister of mine, and you'll never truly be this kingdom's ruler" I whisper, refusing to look 's grin falls and an evil look enters her eyes. She presses the blade down harder, and I wince.

_I tried, Daddy. I may have failed, but at least I gave it my best shot._


	38. Chapter ThirtySeven

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I take a deep breath to brace myself for the fatal cut of the knife, but before Larxene can finish the act, a body crashes into hers. She goes toppling off of me, the knife skittering across the floor. I roll onto my hands and knees, sputtering, and look up at Larxene's attacker.

"Demyx!" I exclaim, my eyes widening as Demyx pins Larxene under him. I hear a soft groan and turn to see Axel wrestling Saix down. He must've taken advantage of Saix's surprise and grappled free. He knocks Saix to the floor, both rolling over the other in an attempt to get each other pinned. My eyes dart back and forth between the two fights, and I'm momentarily in shock before Axel's voice reaches me.

"Iris! Shoot him!" he shouts, causing me to snap my attention back to his fight. He has a struggling Saix pinned against the wall. I scramble at grab my bow and one of the many arrows on the floor. I ready the bow, but my hands are shaking violently and I can't get a good aim.

"Axel, I can't! I might hit you!" I shout back, panic creeping into my system as I see Larxene land a blow against Demyx's cheek from the corner of my eye.

"You won't! Just shoot the bastard!" I release an arrow, but it lodges itself in the wall inches from Saix's head. Through his struggling, he smirks at me.

"Shit, shit shit," I whisper, grabbing up another arrow and readying it. I try to take a steadying breath, but my nerves mixed with blood loss just keeps my hands trembling. I take the best aim possible and fire again. This arrow, however, pierces Axel's shoulder, immediately darkening the sleeve of his shirt. He hisses in pain and glares at me, but manages to keep his grip on Saix.

"Third time's the fucking charm, Iris. Concentrate!" he orders.

Before I can aim a third time, though, Saix breaks free of Axel and slams his head against the wall. Axel falls down the wall, unconscious and losing blood from both his shoulder and a newly formed split at his temple. Saix picks up one of the lances dropped earlier and is bearing over Axel. Not even thinking this time, I launch the third arrow, knowing it's my last chance. It shoots through his back, and I see a bit of his blood splatter onto Axel's face. Saix turns to face me. I see the arrow has managed to go all the way through him, right through his heart. Despite the fact he'll be dead in moments, he smiles. He throws the lance at me right as he falls to the floor. His action takes me by surprise, and I don't have time to dodge. The lance pierces through me, knocking me onto my back and causing my bow to skid across the floor. I release a scream as hot tears start sliding down my face, and I know the lance has punctured my lung.

The pain keeps me on the ground, but I turn my head to see Demyx staring at me in terror. His lapse in judgment gives Larxene the chance to punch the side of his head. His eyes roll before closing, and he collapses off of Larxene in a heap. She stands up and brushes her clothes off. Her eye has been blackened, her lip is split open and swelling, and there is blood matting her hair, but she strolls over to me almost casually. She bends down over me and smiles.

"Aww. Poor Iris. At least you had the sense to leave the lance where it is. Wouldn't want to remove it and let all the blood into that lung, huh?" she smiles evilly and wraps a hand around the lance. "How long will it take for you to suffocate, hm? Let's find out," she hisses. She twists and wrenches the lance from my chest, and I scream again from the pain. "Oh my, that must hurt," she croons. I can feel the blood entering my right lung. I cough and feel some of the blood trickle from the corner of my mouth. My tears pick up the pace, pouring down now. The salty tears burn at the wound on my face, but the pain is infantile compared to the pain in my chest. Larxene smiles and lifts the lance. "This is already taking too long. Let's speed it up. I'm a very busy _queen_ after all." Fear saturates every fiber of my body, and I wrench my eyes shut this time, resigning myself to my fate.

Instead of feeling the pain of the lance piercing through me again, I feel a splatter of something warm against my face. I pop my eyes back open, and Larxene is looking down at me with a pained, shocked expression. I suddenly notice the arrow protruding from her stomach and turn my head to look over to where it came from. Demyx is on his knees, my bow in his hand, the string still quivering.

Larxene takes a step back and falls to her knees. Demyx stumbles onto his feet, walks over quickly and deals a hard blow to Larxene's head. She falls, unconscious. Demyx kneels in front of me, his face scared but intent.

"We have to get you to a hospital," he mumbles, his voice trembling. "I need a phone. Iris, where's a phone?" he asks.

"There…should be one…in…Axel's pocket…" I get out, my voice breathy and shuddery. He hurries over to Axel, pulls the phone out of his pocket, and relays information to the operator as fast as he can. Moments later, he's at my side again, his hand clasped around mine. Black spots are dancing in my vision, and I know it's only a matter of time.

"You're gonna be fine, Ris-Ris," Demyx says, but I know he doesn't believe himself. I don't believe him either.

"Me-Me…finish…Larxene," I rasp out, turning my head to gaze at him with as much intensity I can muster right now. His eyes widen and he shakes his head.

"I can't," he whispers. "I can't kill someone." I squeeze his hand.

"You…have to. If you…don't…all of this…will be for…nothing," I say, coughing up more blood. "Do it…for me…and for mom…and dad… Do it…for you and…your kingdom." His eyes search mine imploringly for a moment, his brain registering my words. Something in his eyes sets and he nods. He lets go of my hand, grabs the lance next to Larxene, and stands. He looks down at me again before turning his attention to Larxene. He bites his lip, tears swimming in his eyes.

I black out right as he brings the lance down.


	39. Chapter ThirtyEight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Axel's Point-of-View

I wake up and shut my eyes again immediately. The room I'm in is too bright, the sheets covering me are too scratchy, and there's a terrible pain pulsating through my head. I groan and try to roll away from the light, but a sudden shock of pain in my shoulder prevents me from doing so.

"Sorry. Let me get that light for you," someone says near me. From behind my eyelids, I can tell this person has dimmed the lights. I hesitantly open one eye and follow suit with the other, the room now darkened. I turn my head to see Iris's brother sitting in a chair next to me. Both of his eyes are blackened, there's a pad of gauze taped to his cheek, stitches on his lower lip, and his knuckles are wrapped in bandages.

"What…happened?" I ask, my throat dry. He hands me a glass of water, which I drink down in one gulp. "Where are we?" I ask with more gusto. "Where's Iris?" Demyx tries to bite his lower lip, winces, and stops.

"We're in the hospital. You have a concussion, stitches at your temple, and the muscles in your shoulder have been severely damaged. Go ahead, try to use them," he says. Furrowing my brows, I experimentally try to lift my arm at the shoulder. I get it up about an inch before finding myself unable to go farther. I drop it back down. "Told ya," Demyx responds.

"What about Larxene and Iris?" I ask.

"Larxene is dead," he says blandly. I smile.

"So that means Iris won. She's alright," I say. Demyx doesn't return my smile. Instead, he bows his head and looks down at his bandaged hand.

"Iris didn't win. I killed Larxene," he says, keeping that bland tone. My smile falls.

"Where's Iris then? She's alright, right?" I ask, fear creeping up on me. Demyx shakes his head, and I see the glimmer of tears falling from the tip of his nose. My stomach clenches, and I might start panicking. "Demyx, Iris isn't dead, is she?" I can hear my voice getting hysterical.

"I…I don't know," he whispers as a sob shakes his frame.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" I shout. A machine near me starts beeping frantically, causing me to finally take notice of the IV in my hand and the sticky sensors connecting me to machines. The door bursts open and a woman dressed in all white hurries in.

"Sir," her soft voice urges. "You need to calm down, sir." Her voice is soothing, but it does nothing to calm me.

"Demyx, where is Iris?! What's happened?!" I yell. I want to grab the front of his shirt and shake the answers out of him. The nurse hurries out and yells for a doctor. An older man with long blond hair rushes in after the nurse.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but if you won't calm down," he trails off, holding up a syringe. I ignore him, reaching my good arm towards Demyx. He's just out of my reach, causing me to growl, frustrated.

"Tell me what's going on right now, Demyx!" I shout, and I know I sound absolutely hysterical at this point. The doctor grabs onto my arm and plunges the needle into it. It only takes moments for the drug to take effect. Darkness closes in around me, and my eyelids droop. I register Demyx's concerned face. "Where's Iris?" I whisper before falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

I don't know how long I've been out when I wake back up, but Demyx is still there. My brain still feels fuzzy, so I know there's no way I can manage to get worked up again.

"Demyx…if you're not going to tell me what's going on, why are you still here?" I rasp. He looks up, surprised to find me awake.

"I can't tell you if she's okay because I don't know if she is. The last a doctor spoke to me, they were trying to patch up her lung. She lost a lot of blood, and stopped breathing for a few minutes and is on oxygen. They're still trying to fix her lung, and that's all I know," he says.

"Do they expect her to live? What're her chances?" I ask fervently. My mind is un-clouding, and the panic is back. Demyx looks nervous.

"Calm down or else they'll knock you out again," he warns.

"I don't fucking care! I need to know what's going to happen!" I shout. The machine starts going off again, and the doctor hurries in with a hassled expression on his face. Before I can object, I've fallen back into darkness.

* * *

Demyx isn't there anymore when I wake up. Instead, I see Zexion sitting there, observing a clipboard. He looks up and smiles sadly at me.

"Hey, Axel. How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Like a bed of flowers, Zex," I mutter sarcastically. "What're you doing here?"

"I heard about the castle invasion and called you. When you didn't answer, I put two and two together. I checked with the hospital, and lo and behold, here you are. Nice little medical list you have here," he says, motioning to the clipboard. I smile softly at him.

"Where's Demyx?" I ask.

"Visiting Iris," he replies simply. I try to sit up at his words, but my head swims and I fall back onto my pillow. Zexion's eyebrows knit together and he stands up.

"Easy. Do you need anything? How's the pain in your head? Want me to get your pain medication increased?" he asks. I shake my throbbing head.

"No, I'm fine. Just…stupid move there. You said he's visiting Iris. Does that mean she's okay?" I ask quickly. He frowns.

"She hasn't woken up from surgery yet. The doctors drained the blood from her lung and patched it up. It's working as it should now, more or less. It'll heal and be fine. A couple of her ribs are broken from the force of the injury, but those should also heal fine. They stitched up her face and the wound in her leg, but she's had to have quite the number of blood transfusions. She probably still has a few of those coming her way. She's not out of the woods yet, but she should be fine in the end. The doctor's here are very skilled." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and relief floods through me. I bring my good hand up to cover my eyes and smile.

"She's okay," I say with a shaky laugh. Speaking the words makes it seem more real, and I laugh again. "She's okay."


	40. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Iris," Axel says in a sing-song voice, striding into my office. I put down my pen and smile at him.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy doing legal kingdom-y stuff?" I ask playfully. He grins and waves an envelope at me.

"Just wanted to let you know you got a letter," he says. He drops the letter in front of me and leans over to kiss my forehead.

"Don't you have work to do?" I ask, already knowing his answer. After I got out of the hospital and Demyx relinquished the throne to me, Axel gave his father's business to his cousin Reno, deciding to focus on what he loves doing: being lazy and annoying. I have to admit, for the past eight months, he's been doing pretty well at it.

"Nope. My main occupation is to bug you," he answers, walking around behind me and kissing the top of my head. I roll my eyes and pick the letter up, smiling at the untidy scrawl of my brother's. I slice open the envelope.

_Hey, Iris!_

_ I'm all settled into my dorm. My roommate's real cool, says he knows you, but who doesn't? Name's Hayner. I start my classes on Monday, and I'm pretty excited. You know how much I always wanted to get away and just be a normal guy for once. I wouldn't be doing that right now if it wasn't for you! You and Axel should come up here sometime soon so I can show you around. I know I've only been gone for a week, but I already miss you guys! Write back soon so I know how you are. Oh, and tell Axel happy late birthday for me since I missed it last week. 26-years-old? Yuck, what a cradle robber!_

_Love you!_

_-Demyx_

I smile at his words and pull out a clean sheet of paper to respond.

"How is he?" Axel asks, his hands on my shoulders, his face in my hair.

"Fine. Misses us already. Says happy birthday. Called you a cradle robber," I reply. He groans.

"Five years. That's not a lot!" I chuckle at him before setting my pen to paper.

_Demxy,_

_ We're doing just fine. Not much has changed since you left. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to tell you this, but your going to college and being a "normal" guy because of you, not me. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now, so don't thank me. Mom and Dad would be proud of you for all you've done and all you're doing. It's probably condescending of me as your little sister to say so, but I'm proud of you. Tell Hayner I said hi. Ask him how his parents are for me. I'd make this longer, but I have a certain cradle robber I need to pay some attention to. Wink wink._

_Love you back!_

_-Iris_

"Mmm. I'm gonna get some attention, huh?" Axel purrs against my neck. I smile, and try to swat him away.

"No. I just said that to gross him out. Some of us around here have actual work to do," I answer flippantly, gesturing grandly to the papers on my desk. He continues on, kissing my neck lightly.

"I think it can wait," he says. He leans down and scoops me into his arms. I squeal and laugh.

"Well if you're going to be so persistent, what choice do I have?" I ask, placing a kiss against his shoulder.

"Now that's more like," he says before carrying me out of the room. We get a few strange looks from the castle staff, but I just smile at them, never having been happier.

* * *

Hours later, I'm lying amongst the sheets of our bed, a wonderful summer breeze blowing through the windows. Axel runs his fingers along each of the scars on my face before dropping those fingers to the scar a few inches under my breast. I grimace, but he smiles and kisses my cheek.

"You're still beautiful, and these scars just show how brave you are. In fact, I'd say they make you even more beautiful," he says softly. I smile, finding comfort in his words.

Axel and I are happy together. He's been nothing but supportive since I took the throne. He helped me figure out the fastest ways to alleviate the kingdom's debt, disband the slave market, and clean up the crime rates and quality of life amongst the kingdom's villages. He's comforted me through times of frustration, calmed me down when I thought there was no way around a situation, and celebrated with me through each triumph.

Don't get me wrong. Our relationship isn't perfect. We still have our spats. We still stalk off to our separate corners of the castle and shout and throw things occasionally. Overall, though, we're doing amazingly well given where we started.

Will we last forever? Will we get married and have children and all that stuff? Who knows. Maybe we will, but maybe we won't. In a perfect world, all that stuff would happen and work out seamlessly, but the world isn't always a perfect place.

I look over at Axel. His hair has lost most of its style from his sweat, and pieces of it are in his face. His emerald eyes are hazy, and a content smile is on his lips. I smile.

The world isn't always a perfect place, but lately mine has been pretty perfect.

End

* * *

Author's Note: The...end? Already? Oh... Well...that went quickly. I feel a little empty now that I don't have a multi-chapter fic to spend every day on. I guess expect a string of one-shots from me soon...maybe? I have two ideas floating around for multi-chapter fics: one Kingdom Hearts and one Harry Potter. Maybe I'll start on those sometime soon. Ugh, I feel lost now! xD

Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it!

Reviews might help me regain my sanity.

-J.M. Sparrow


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